Comcast’s Xfinity now offering 3 Gig speeds nationwide

Xfinity began offering symmetrical download/upload 3 Gbps towards the end of September 2021; however, these speeds were only available in select areas of Xfinity’s Northeast and Central regions of the U.S. 

In November 2021, Xfinity expanded its 3 Gig service to its Western region, making these ultra-fast speeds available nationwide. 

Pricing

Xfinity’s 3 Gig service is not a new internet plan. Instead, Xfinity has increased its most expensive plan, Xfinity “Gigabit Pro” from 2 Gbps to 3 Gbps. Although speeds are increasing, Xfinity has made it clear that pricing will not. 

That’s not to say that the Gigabit Pro plan is now a steal. Considering Xfinity charges $299.95/mo. for this service and activation fees could cost customers as much as $1,000, the gigabit Pro plan is one of the most expensive internet plans nationwide. 

In addition to Xfinity’s service fees, Xfinity also requires customers to sign a two-year contract. If customers break this contract, they will have to pay up to $230. 

Xfinity Gigabit Pro vs. Xfinity Gigabit 

For customers uninterested in paying nearly $300/mo., Xfinity still offers its considerably cheaper internet plan, “Xfinity Gigabit.” While speeds reach up to 1.2 Gbps for just $70/mo. with Xfinity Gigabit, this plan only offers upload speeds up to 35 Mbps. 

This difference in 3,000 Mbps upload speeds with the Gigabit Pro plan and 35 Mbps upload speeds with the Gigabit plan is because Xfinity’s Gigabit package uses a cable connection instead of a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) connection. The Gigabit Pro plan is Xfinity’s only plan that uses fiber optic cables.

See all Xfinity internet plans

Who is eligible for the Xfinity Gigabit Pro plan? 

In addition to the steep pricing, another setback of Xfinity’s Gigabit Pro plan is that only a small portion of customers are eligible for this service and it can take a while to find out if a home qualifies for the plan. 

For starters, less than 1% of Xfinity customers have access to Xfinity’s fiber plan, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Xfinity cannot determine if a customer qualifies for its Gigabit Pro plan simply by inputting a customer’s address. 

Instead, Xfinity must first conduct a site survey. This entails physically coming out to a customer’s property and determining if a home is close enough to a fiber node. If the site survey passes, it still may take several weeks for a customer to receive fiber internet service. 

The Xfinity Gigabit Pro plan, therefore, is great for customers looking for the absolute fastest speeds on the market; however, due to its high pricing, complicated activation process and two-year contract requirement, Xfinity’s Gigabit plan may be the better option for many customers instead.