Comcast is partnering with Apple, Meta, NVIDIA, and Valve to introduce what it describes as ultra-low lag connectivity to customers.
Comcast says the low-latency technology has been tested for the past year with user groups. Initially rollouts are underway and will expand to Atlanta; Chicago; Colorado Springs; Philadelphia; Rockville, Maryland; and San Francisco during the next few months.
Initially the features will be available on the XB6, XB7, and XB8 models of the Xfinity Gateway. Additional leased and retail modems will be added in the future as the software on those devices begin to support the new technology.
The Comcast Xfinity connectivity feature will initially be available on FaceTime on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro, Meta’s mixed reality headsets, NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW, and many games on Valve’s Steam games platform, according to the announcement.
The technology will expand to other content and application providers and will eventually be available to all Xfinity Internet customers.
“Our connectivity is the key to unlocking a world of entertainment, sports, news and information and we’re constantly pushing the limits of network innovation to create an experience that exceeds the expanding demands of our customers,” Emily Waldorf, Comcast Senior Vice President of Consumer Products for Comcast Connectivity and Platforms, said in the announcement.
“Modern applications are real-time and interactive and require more than just fast speeds. Xfinity Internet’s lower lag times will be a differentiator for Comcast.”
Comcast’s chief network officer Elad Nafshi said last September that it expected to accelerate its rollout of DOCSIS 4.0 due to the deployment of full duplex DOCSIS amplifiers from CommScope. At the time, Nafshi told Telecompetitor that it had been deploying the gear for a bit more than a year and had made it available to more than a million homes in six markets.
