Comcast Talks Up 150 Megabit Cable

With growing pressure from lower-cost DSL and Verizon's faster FiOS, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts used The Cable Show conference in Las Vegas to show off a new cable modem technology that could bring speeds of 150 megabits per second. FiOS is currently offered up to 50 megabits, but is capable of much more.

Version 3.0 of the DOCSIS standard, developed by Cable Television Laboratories which represents all of the cable providers, utilizes four channels to send data instead of just one. This "channel bonding" would enable speeds 25 times higher than current cable modems. Roberts says manufacturers are planning to submit DOCSIS 3.0 modems for certification later this year, and customers could see the technology in their homes within a couple years.