Fiber = Faster Internet Speeds, Access to Ethernet, Internet, Advanced Voice and Cloud Services
May 15, 2018 – Comcast Business announced today that is has added several miles of advanced network to reach nearly 200 businesses in industrial areas across Chicago’s southwest suburbs, including:
- Alsip, IL, around South Pulaski Road and West 127th Street;
- Chicago Heights, IL, around East Joe Orr Road and State Street;
- Orland Park, IL, around Southwest Highway and 135th Street; and
- University Park, IL, around Central Avenue and West Dralle Road.
With the buildouts complete, Comcast can give small, medium and large businesses in these industrial areas access to Internet speeds of up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) – and up to 100 Gbps on a case-by-case basis – along with a wide range of services, including Ethernet, Internet, Advanced Voice and value-added cloud services. In addition, with the fiber in place already as a result of the network expansion, Comcast can bring new customers online more quickly.
“We’re grateful that Comcast has made consistent investments in its networks throughout Cook County,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “The availability of advanced services and the highest-speed internet on the market will help make the southwest suburbs and Cook County overall more attractive to businesses and spur economic development throughout our region.”
“Our network provides increased bandwidth and that means more businesses can do more with their IT resources, like access more applications and services in the cloud, accommodate rapidly increasing numbers of employees in the field using mobile devices and exchange large amounts of data with business partners,” said Jay Dirkmaat, regional vice president of Comcast Business. “Comcast already has an extensive coaxial and fiber network in Illinois, and we’ve been expanding it significantly through strategic proactive investments designed to help spur economic growth in emerging and growing business corridors.”
This latest project follows network expansions that Comcast has completed in the last few years in diverse areas across the Chicago area, including: along Interstate 88 in Chicago’s west suburbs and Interstate 90 in Chicago’s northwest suburbs; Morris, IL; Elgin and South Elgin, IL; and in Chicago’s Back of the Yards and Bridgeport neighborhoods; the Peterson Pulaski Business and Industrial Park; near O’Hare and Midway airports, and a host of others.
In addition to the new fiber, Comcast offers an Internet service that provides 1 Gbps download speeds to homes and businesses over the company’s existing network lines, which launched across Illinois in August 2016.
The extent of Comcast’s network also has made it possible for the company to build the largest WiFi network in the nation. Xfinity WiFi includes more than 18 million WiFi hotspots in locations across the country, with more than 1.7 million in Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region alone (which includes Illinois, Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan). Comcast has placed hotspots in or adjacent to locations ranging from restaurants, retail stores, salons and doctors’ offices to parks and universities, according to Dirkmaat.
About Comcast Business
Comcast Business, a unit of Comcast Cable, provides advanced communication solutions to help organizations of all sizes meet their business objectives. Through a next-generation network that is backed by 24/7 technical support, Comcast delivers Business Internet, Ethernet, TV and a full portfolio of Voice services for cost-effective, simplified communications management. For more information, call (866) 429-3085. Follow Comcast Business on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks.
With around 6,500 local employees, Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region serves customers in Central and Northern Illinois, including the Chicago area, Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan. “Like” Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region on Facebook by visiting @Comcast. “Follow” Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region on Twitter at @ComcastILLINOIS.
