Comcast launches business Ethernet in 20 markets

Comcast Business Services hopes its last-mile fiber infrastructure will differentiate its business Ethernet services, announced today in 20 of the nation’s 25 top markets.

“Historically mid-size businesses have only been able to get the last mile from the phone company,” said Kevin O’Toole, senior vice president of product management and strategy for Comcast Business Services, in an interview. Even where competitive providers offer service, O’Toole said the service often relies on network elements that the providers lease from the incumbent telco.

Comcast expects to serve almost all business Ethernet customers over its own fiber infrastructure, which the cable company already has largely deployed to support television and wireless backhaul services. In the future, O’Toole believes the company’s coax infrastructure also could play a role in supporting business services. Coax, he said, can support “more bandwidth than anyone wants to give it credit for.”

Company already has Ethernet customers
Comcast’s business Ethernet service lineup includes Ethernet private line, Ethernet virtual private line, multipoint Ethernet and dedicated Internet access. The company already has been offering some of these services in some markets and based on that experience, O’Toole said Internet access and point-to-point offerings have been the most popular.

“Customers recognize that the product is scalable and gives them a lot of bang for the buck and gives them a platform they can add future applications to as they need to,” said O’Toole.

Comcast has been quietly investing to support business Ethernet services for about 18 months, O’Toole said. As a result, he said, engineering, sales and service resources are already in place to support the offerings and the company has “had the opportunity to battle test [the services] with some of the most demanding customers in the marketplace.”
Equipment underlying Comcast’s business Ethernet services comes from Ciena, Juniper and Cisco, Comcast said.

Metro only—for now
For now, Comcast’s business Ethernet services are available only within a metro area, where the company sees substantial demand, O’Toole said.

In the future, he said, the company may consider offering Ethernet connectivity between metro markets—either by dropping off circuits at a carrier hotel or by using its own long-haul infrastructure.