Comcast Business Invests $30 Million to Expand High-Performance Ethernet Network in City of Philadelphia

Investment designed to support business communities requiring high-capacity network services

Comcast Business today announced it is investing more than $30 million in a major expansion of its fiber-based network in Philadelphia, reaching more than 3,000 businesses directly and benefiting tens of thousands more by making the network more accessible and affordable than ever before. Capable of delivering up to 100 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) of network capacity, the fiber optic Ethernet network expansion will support advanced services and give the company the ability to bring new customers, ranging from small and medium-sized organizations to large enterprises, online more quickly.

While the Comcast Business fiber network already serves many of Philadelphia’s largest companies and hundreds of other businesses, this concentrated expansion will deploy more than 50 miles of new fiber optic cable and encompass the city’s two largest business districts – Center City (from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River) and University City. Significant work has already begun over the past few months to provide high-performance Ethernet, Internet and advanced voice solutions to businesses and organizations throughout the city, and additional network expansions will be completed through the remainder of the year.

“Our city has always been on the cutting-edge of innovation and technology, and having access to the latest network services like those that Comcast Business is providing is absolutely essential to keeping us there,” said Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia. “We thank Comcast for its continued commitment to the City.”

In addition to the educational facilities, medical industries, law firms and finance institutions prevalent in Philadelphia, the revitalization of tech and retail districts – combined with the influx of new small businesses and startups – creates a hotbed of economic development requiring access to the advanced communications solutions Comcast Business offers.

“This significant investment in our city’s infrastructure is critical to provide our businesses with the access and options they need to compete and grow,” said Rob Wonderling, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. “This competitive advantage will also help us continue to attract innovative companies to our city.”

With a comprehensive portfolio of Ethernet options, Comcast Business serves schools, businesses, hospitals and other organizations with distributed enterprises that require large amounts of bandwidth, are looking to link multiple sites or branch locations or plan to connect their offices to a third-party data center.

“This is one of Comcast Business’ most significant and innovative infrastructure build-outs to date, and we’re proud to be making this investment here in our hometown,” said David Dombroski, regional vice president for Comcast Business. “As demand in Philadelphia for our high-performance Ethernet offerings continues to soar, Comcast Business recognizes the need to respond quickly to new businesses to provide scalable solutions that can meet demand as they grow.”

Over the summer, Comcast Business played a critical role in one of the most technologically-advanced events in history as the official Broadband and Telecommunications Provider for the Democratic National Convention. The company installed more than 25 miles of network plant in the Wells Fargo Center and surrounding area specifically for the event to deliver a redundant 100 Gigabit-per-second connection that serviced all DNC staff, delegates and thousands of media outlets.

Nationally, Comcast Business’s Ethernet services are delivered over an advanced network that spans nearly 150,000 miles. Comcast was the first service provider in the world to offer Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) CE 2.0 certified Ethernet services and was also the first service provider to achieve all three of the previous CE 1.0 certifications (MEF 9, 14 and 18).