In today’s world, having top-tier internet connection is vital. We can spend almost our entire day handling technology whether it be through work, school, or even downtime when browsing social media or texting friends.
With our lives encompassed by the digital world, Comcast is working hard to make sure Northwest Indiana and beyond have the resources they need to guarantee a quality connection, no matter the location or the task at hand.
Chris Smith, Comcast’s regional vice president of sales and marketing, explained how it all comes together and what makes the company an outstanding internet provider for everyone in the Region.
Connectivity is key
Connectivity is the center of our customers’ lives, so we’ve built a network that combines gig speeds with wall-to-wall WiFi and millions of hotspots to provide the speed, coverage, and control they need, wherever they go.
Northwest Indiana is a “Gig” region. We offer residential customers a variety of Xfinity internet plans with download speeds up to 1.2 Gbps, regardless of zip code. We also offer a fiber-based symmetrical service in a large portion of our footprint called “Xfinity Gigabit Pro” with speeds up to three Gbps. We also have a variety of innovative internet and other telecommunications services for apartment and condominium communities.
In addition, we offer Internet Essentials, a low-cost internet service for low-income families, college students, seniors, veterans, public housing residents, and people with disabilities enrolled in government assistance programs, ranging from SSI and SNAP to Medicaid. Internet Essentials has connected more than 440,000 Hoosiers to the internet since it launched in 2011.
The federal government recently launched the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible low-income households up to a $30 a month credit toward the cost of internet service. Participants in the program can apply the ACP credit toward the cost of any of our Xfinity internet plans, as well as Internet Essentials. For more information, visit www.xfinity.com/free.
Coverage for miles and miles
Comcast operates more than 10,000 miles of advanced network infrastructure in Northern Indiana, including more than 2,200 miles of fiber (150,000 miles nationwide). We’ve invested nearly $550 million in technology and network infrastructure in Indiana alone in the last three years. We have 265 employees in 18 facilities across the Region who manage our network and our services and support our customers 24/7, 365 days a year. We have Xfinity retail stores across Northern Indiana, including locations in Elkhart, Hammond, Granger, Merrillville and Valparaiso that give customers the opportunity to test our products and services first-hand and get assistance if they need it. Click here to find region store addresses, hours, and even schedule store appointments online ahead of time.
Always developing, always growing
With more than $30 billion dollars invested in our network nationally over the past decade (nearly $550 million in Indiana in the last three years), we’ve been able to continually bring innovative telecommunications products and services to market – including a 10 Gbps residential internet service we’re working to develop – deliver an even greater customer experience, increase reliability and our speeds, and double network capacity every 2.5 years to stay ahead of continually increasing demand, an explosion of newly connected devices and technologies, and more people than ever going to school and working at home and on the go.
Network strength and resilience
Comcast has been on a multi-year mission to make its network not just stronger, but smarter. Our teams of technologists across the country work to create and deliver innovations that provide faster speeds, more capacity, and greater reliability. Comcast has thousands of technicians, engineers, cybersecurity professionals, and other frontline team members who work to ensure fast, reliable internet service. These heroes are in your community helping to expand access and improve connectivity, in our operations centers performing health checks to pinpoint potential issues, and across the country monitoring for privacy and security attacks. Our network was built to provide flexibility and reliability so that we can quickly respond to spikes or shifts in usage – keeping Americans connected regardless of what’s happening around them, including severe weather and unexpected events. We have employees across the company ready to be deployed to help Northern Indiana communities during severe weather, power outages, and more. Our teams go out into the field as soon as it’s safe to work to get our customers connected as quickly as possible. Click here to learn more about the resources we’ve put in place to help keep customers prepared and connected.
Beyond the connection
While the internet speed you receive matters, other factors matter, too, including:
- Your in-home WiFi network. Comcast delivers the fastest in-home WiFi;
- On-the-go-access: All of our Xfinity internet customers get access to our network of more than 20 million Xfinity WiFi hotspots nationwide – nearly 150,000 in Northern Indiana alone – which allow Hoosiers to connect on the go across the region and across the country;
- Our xFi Complete service also provides:
- Control: Customers can assign user profiles and view and control connected devices’ access to their networks;
- Advanced Security to protect devices and help customers stay safe online; and
- Unlimited data, among other benefits.
- Seamless integration with other products and services, such as:
Xfinity internet customers can get an Xfinity Flex 4k streaming TV box for free. Flex includes our Voice Remote and a wide variety of streaming apps, including Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Peacock.
Xfinity Mobile customers have access to nationwide 5G cellular service as well as more than 20 million WiFi hotspots across the country at no additional charge. Customers can mix and match between Unlimited or By-the-Gig shared data and switch back and forth on any line at any time, giving them more flexibility to customize the way they pay for cellular data and save money.
Eliminating the digital divide
Comcast is committed to closing the digital divide. So in addition to our internet Essentials program, we established “Lift Zones” at nine Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana facilities. Lift Zones are safe places with WiFi access where people can build their digital skills, search for employment, and do schoolwork. In addition, over the past three years, we’ve provided $4.4 million in cash and in-kind support to nonprofits throughout the state.
For more information about Xfinity products and services, visit www.xfinity.com
