Comcast has turned on nearly 2,500 Wi-Fi hotspots in parts of eastern Massachusetts, including the Boston area, and southern New Hampshire.
Comcast’s Xfinity WiFi is free to the company’s data subscribers and is now available in Boston, Brookline and Cambridge, as well as in communities from Cape Cod to Portsmouth, N.H. The 2,500 hotspots represent a combination of freestanding hotspots and hotspots in small- to medium-size businesses that have Comcast Business Class services that include a Wi-Fi hotspot.
“Our customers are on the go with wireless devices, platforms and apps and are looking for ways to enjoy their entertainment and communications outside of their homes,” said Steve Hackley, senior vice president of Comcast’s Greater Boston region, which includes eastern Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. “With Xfinity WiFi, we’re providing them a fast wireless Internet experience while they’re out shopping, eating or otherwise enjoying their time in the Boston area.”
Comcast customers can sign on to use the service whenever they see “xfinitywifi” on the list of available networks on their wireless devices. Xfinity WiFi provides Xfinity Internet customers the ability to access thousands of outdoor and indoor WiFi hotspots throughout the greater Boston area, the greater Philadelphia area and its suburbs, in addition to areas of New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.
Comcast is also part of a roaming agreement with Cox Communications, Bright House Networks, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision that was announced at The Cable Show in Boston earlier this year.
Comcast also recently announced it doubled the speeds of two of its existing Internet speed tiers for customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine at no additional cost. Xfinity Blast customers are now receiving download speeds of up to 50 Mbps (formerly 25 Mbps), and Extreme 50 customers now receive speeds of up to 105 Mbps (formerly 50 Mbps). The speed increases marked the seventh time since 2002 that Comcast has increased speeds for its customers at no additional charge.