Comcast preps for symmetrical service with new customer premises equipment

Comcast has touted all the network upgrades it is doing as it pushes toward DOCSIS 4.0, but it appears to be planning one more key move: rolling out new Wi-Fi routers that can handle the speeds it’s aiming to deliver. Comcast Cable CEO David Watson said the company views Wi-Fi as a key element of its broadband package. Rather than trying to push out new customer premises equipment all at once when it’s ready to roll out symmetrical and multi-gig speeds, Watson said it’s trying to get ahead of the curve. “We will be delivering early next year a new gateway that is the first tri-band gateway device that includes the 6 GHz band. So, we’ll have 2.4, 5 GHz, 6GHz, plenty of bandwidth. And it really is a terrific way to make sure proactively as we grow and go towards multi-gig symmetrical down the road that we have the right [customer premises equipment].” In September 2021, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts highlighted the company’s strategy of trying to deepen its customer relationships with the right products and services, like Wi-Fi and TV. But Watson said it is also working to grow the sheer number of customers it has in the first place. “We are not standing still,” he said. “We added last year alone over 870,000 new homes passed. So, we also are growing and adding more capability. Our total addressable marketplace will continue to increase.”