Comcast shows off super-quick cable modem

COMCAST HAS been showing off a new cable modem which can handle a data download speed of 150 megabits per second.

According to Associated Press, Chief Executive Brian Roberts showed attendees at the Cable Show a modem which is 25 times faster than standard cable modems.

He said the technology would be in the shops in a couple of years and will compete with FiOS, a TV and Internet service that Verizon is flogging over its fibre-optic network. FiOS can managed 50 megabits per second, but the network is already capable of providing 100 Mbps.

Comcast's technology has the catchy title DOCSIS 3.0 and was developed by the cable industry's research arm, Cable Television Laboratories.

It links four cable lines but is capable of allowing much more capacity. Manufacturers are expected to start submitting modems for certification under the standard by the end of the year.

More here. µ