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Comcast announced Tuesday it will offer 100 Mbps broadband services for businesses in the Twin Cities as the company increases the speed of its network by upgrading the network.

The company offers services over its new advanced DOCSIS 3.0 network. Minneapolis-Saint Paul area was chosen as the first area to receive the service, because it is one of the most mature DOCSIS 3.0 deployment, which is now Comcast.

Comcast did not provide a timetable when the service will be expanded. But a spokesman said the company would gradually introduce it in all markets, which have been upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0. These markets include Boston to southern New Hampshire, of Hartford, Philadelphia and surrounding areas, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, most of New Jersey, parts of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Ft. Wayne, of Chattanooga, Portland, Seattle, the city of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Comcast aims to achieve 80 per cent of its national trail this year, with rapid technology, DOCSIS 3.0. It currently covers about 65 percent of its presence. By the end of the year, if Comcast reaches its goal, its fastest broadband service will be available in more than 40 million homes and businesses.

Comcast already offers a 50 Mbps service for businesses and individual customers in these markets today. But now the company is stepping up its efforts in the service of 100 Mbps.

Comcast rival Verizon Communications has not yet offer services to 100 Mbit / s for any of its clients. Quick service is available at the company's all-Fios fiber-optic network is 50 Mbps. All Verizon fiber network capable of delivering speeds of 100 Mbps, but the company claims that have not seen a big demand for it either residential customers or business customers.

"We offer 50 Mbit / s in each market we serve," said Bobbi Henson, a spokesman for Verizon. "We have not seen a huge amount of demand for services 100Mbps".

But Comcast Kevin O'Toole said that there is demand from small businesses. He said that businesses such as healthcare or real estate, which send large files in the most need of more bandwidth. In addition, Comcast offers a number of other services along with broadband services, make services more valuable to business customers.

For $ 369.95 per month for these enterprises to access Microsoft services such as Microsoft Exchange e-mail, which provides general corporate calendar and address functionality, and Microsoft SharePoint, which allows businesses to have their own intranet. Comcast also will offer these 100 Mbit / s customers hardware firewall protection and security of 25 seats McAfee. It also offers free web hosting and domain support.

Comcast does not compete with Verizon Fios service, the services of 100 Mbps. It really compete with Verizon and other telephone companies' T1 data services. This kind of services that most large businesses can subscribe from the telephone provider. Not only expensive T1 services, and in some places cost about $ 1000 a month, but the T1 lines, also slowly, only download software 1.5 Mbps.

Comcast believes that small businesses with fewer than 20 employees is the lack of market. And in 2006 she began work office block. The strategy will be after these small businesses has paid off. And IIn the second quarter of 2009 the company reported that the division of business services revenue grew by 51 percent compared with the second quarter of 2008.

It is not enough market that really needs a speed of 100 Mbps services, "said O'Toole." Plus, we offer them great value when you look at the whole package. "