Comcast said it is now offering a one-gigabit service aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses in Atlanta, joining a growing list of fast internet services offered in the metro area.
Comcast said its “Business Internet 1 Gig” service and a slower version, “Business Internet 500,” will be available on its existing network in its Atlanta service area.
The Comcast service joins a number of other fast internet services being rolled out in the area, including its own earlier offerings for businesses and families.
As the local gigabit skirmish as spread, it has brought down pricing for the fast network speeds, which can cut the download times for HD movies to a fraction of a minute, or shorten the time to transfer a data-heavy file such as an MRI medical scan.
The fast service topped $250 a month initially at some companies, but has since dropped to $70 or so.
In 2015, Comcast began offering a 2-gigabit service — about 200 times the average service at the time — to about 1.5 million Atlanta homes.
Comcast also announced a 10 gigabit service last year for businesses along Alpharetta’s Georgia 400 Business Corridor.
Meanwhile, Google Fiber and AT&T are also rolling out similar high-speed services in metro Atlanta, while Atlanta-based Cox Communications offers gigabit service in its territory, which does not include Atlanta.
Both Google and AT&T have had a stop-and-go history since announcing plans in 2014 to roll out fast networks for homes and businesses, alternately delaying and speeding up plans.
In 2015 Google opened its Google Fiber Academy in Atlanta to train installers, but late last year was reportedly laying off employees in the division and halting its roll-out of service in new cities.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said at the time that Google Fiber's roll-out of its 1 megabit service for the area was still on track.
AT&T started offering 1 gigabit service in some areas of Atlanta starting in 2015.
