A primary goal of DOCSIS 3.0 is to dramatically increase the bandwidth capacity of cable modem broadband, making it a respectable alternative to FTTH competitors. And while ultra fast speeds of 50 Mbps (and even 100 Mbps) are often mentioned when discussing it, DOCSIS 3.0’s initial impact will be felt at much lower speeds. For example, BroadbandReports.com is reporting that Comcast is slowly rolling out speeds of 22 Mbps/5 Mbps and will raise their standard $42.95 tier from 6 Mbps/1 Mbps to 12Mbps/2Mbps in their DOCSIS 3.0 markets. Comcast has signaled they intend to reach 20% of their footprint with DOCSIS 3.0 by the end of the year. The new tiers are more closely aligned with Verizon FiOS Internet offerings. Next year will be interesting to observe, as many more markets see head-up DOCSIS 3.0 and FiOS competition.
