Comcast Ups Cable Speed to 16Mbit

In an effort to fend off competition from Verizon's FiOS service, which offers download speeds of up to 15Mbit per second, Comcast has doubled the speed of its top-tier broadband service to 16Mbit. The change is currently being rolled out in a few markets, including Reston, Va.; Sarasota, Fla.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Howard County, Md.

Along with the faster downloads, users will now be able to upload at a speed of 1Mbit per second. The service costs $52.95 USD per month. Other cable operators such as Cox and Adelphia have taken a similar approach to Verizon encroaching on their territory. Comcast says its move was not made specifically in response to the competition, but simply to test new applications it can offer with such high broadband speeds.