Comcast Internet is Officially Faster Than Verizon Fios - http://clapway.com/2015/12/31/comcast-internet-is-officially-faster-than-verizon-fios-123/

Cable internet is changing. It looks like it’s adapting pretty wonderfully to the modern times. Comcast internet is bringing in gigabit Internet speeds to houses all over the country. They just rolled out a 3.1 gigabit modem for home use in Philadelphia.

Cable Internet and Comcast Are Finally Catching Up

Executive Vice President and CTO of Comcast Tony Werner wrote a blog post giving the announcement. He expressed that this was the company’s next step in bringing gigabit speed broadband to Comcast’s hybrid fiber coaxial network. The final step in the puzzle was to bring in a modem, a software upgrade and ‘a few good engineers’.

The new modem in the Philadelphia home is powered by DOCSIS 3.1. DOCSIS stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, and is a customer-facing network that uses Comcast’s existing networks to function. It’s also backwards compatible. This makes installment and use more widespread and easier.

Comcast Is Not the First to Bring in Gigabit Speeds

Google Fiber is actually the first platform to introduce gigabit speeds through hybrid fingers. Unlike Comcast, Google needs new cable connections in order for Google Fiber to work properly. Not only that, it also only works in certain areas.

What’s in Store for Comcast Internet?

Werner went on to declare that Comcast will continue to develop new cable connections through 2016, and will continue to test them. The company’s hope is that by the end of 2016, customers have access to a new kind of gigabit speed that works on existing connections. The next areas of testing will likely be in Pennsylvania, Northern California and Atlanta.

It’s yet to be seen where these amazing speeds will be rolling out first, but internet providers like Time Warner Cable and Verizon Fios should be looking out. Comcast is bringing in some serious guns to the party. They will continue to bring out huge announcements as 2016 progresses. If Verizon and TWC want any part in the market for the next two years, they will be adopting similar networks, so we will probably hear word from their R&D departments really soon. For now, the scales are pointing to Comcast.

Comcast Internet is Officially Faster Than Verizon Fios

Google Fiber is Going to Kill Comcast - http://clapway.com/2015/11/22/google-fiber-has-killed-comcast123/

The USA may be a bedrock of technical innovation, however when it comes to something as fundamental as internet speed, there’s a lot of room for improvement. Actually, if you look at a ranking of typical Internet speeds throughout various nations, the United States doesn’t even make the top 10. Luckily, the number of high-speed internet alternatives for consumers to choose from is expanding gradually however undoubtedly with each year.

Google Fiber Versus Comcast: It’s On

Not only does Comcast’s top tier internet service give surfing rates of 75mbps, but Google Fiber can support speeds of approximately 1 GB of data per second. Through contrast, the average link rate in the united state stands at just 11.5 Mbps. Though Google Fiber is only available in a few cities at the moment, the rate it provides is an undeniable glance right into the future of computing.

Google Fiber

Google Fiber Will Revolutionize Internet Speeds As We Know Them

Nevertheless, it’s not always easy to appreciate the difference that lies in a few mbps. Truth be told, most people couldn’t tell off-hand if there’s any appreciable distinction in between a 3 Mbps and 6 Mbps connection. For others, though, changing the word ‘megabite’ to ‘gigabyte’ is already a selling point.

Google Does Advertising Right

In the introduction video, Google smartly shows the difference between a slow internet speed and a new way to perceive a fast connection. Things start gradually, with just a drip, as the video clip shows what a 768 Kbps link appears like. By the time the video reaches a 1 GB connection, which is exactly what Google Fiber gives, it’s only a matter of time before Google Fiber starts flying off the shelves.

Google Fiber is Going to Kill Comcast

Comcast Goes Skinny - http://clapway.com/2015/11/22/comcast-goes-skinny123/

Less is More, Even in Telecommunications

In what may be the largest shock of 2015, cable companies are separating the package and committing to skinnier TV packages. Comcast Corp. released Stream TV in Chicago today, its second market after Boston where the service made its debut.

Comcast Prefers Skinner Bundles

Stream TV curtails Comcast’s traditional video service, providing only the major broadcast networks plus HBO, making them available over any Internet-connected device. Stream TV additionally includes Comcast’s cloud DVR function as well as is dramatically less expensive compared to other cable bundles, at $15 per month. The Comcast service is expected to test out in Seattle next, spreading all over the country throughout 2016.

Comcast Isn’t the Only Service Offering Skinny Bundles

Another company attracting customers with skinner TV bundles besides Comcast is Charter, currently at $13 per month in St. Louis, MO by using  Spectrum TV Stream. They also offer Outset, for $20 monthly for 16 extra networks, consisting of Discovery, ESPN and FX.

Charter has actually been close-lipped regarding its skinny package approach and roadmap. A business representative hesitated to talk about the document, however did indicate a statement given by CEO Tom Rutledge that the company examines new products and tests cost points.

Comcast Goes Skinny

Comcast Data Leak: Thousands of Passwords Reset - http://clapway.com/2015/11/10/comcast-data-leak-thousands-of-passwords-reset123/

After Comcast was subject to a data leak and hundreds of thousands of user accounts were supposedly stolen and put up for sale on the dark Web, the company has resorted to resetting all passwords associated with the active accounts.

Comcast has announced that the break was not due to a breach

About 600,000 Comcast customer credentials were reportedly stolen in this data leak, and 200,000 were confirmed to have been taken. Hackers demanded $1,000 for the data. Comcast has since then announced that the break was not due to a breach of its system but rather an isolated incident due to customers visiting websites with malware or were victims of phishing, which must have given hackers access to their Comcast accounts.

Wake up call to large corporations like TalkTalk and Comcast

A long list of large companies have suffered security breaches in the latter part of 2015, and Comcast is joining that list. There’s no telling if these hackers are targeting the companies or individual users, but fact remains that cyber attacks are becoming more common. This is a good wake up call to large corporations like TalkTalk and Comcast to update their online security, since outdated security measures may underestimate the power the internet brings today.

This should even be extended to government agencies all over the world: the Internet cannot be taken lightly.

 

Comcast Data Leak: Thousands of Passwords Reset

AT&T buys DirecTV - http://clapway.com/2015/07/25/att-buys-directv678/

AT&T, the number two wireless carrier, has just become the biggest traditional television provider in the United States with its $48.5 billion purchase of DirecTV, the biggest satellite-TV provider. This is all after winning clearance from the Federal Communications Commission. This deal was sealed on Friday.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CLEARED DEAL TUESDAY

The Justice Department had already cleared the deal on Tuesday of this past week, which creates the largest provider of cable or satellite TV in the United States, with 26.4 million cable and satellite TV subscribers. That is more than Comcast, the United States’ biggest cable company, as well as Charter, which is also seeking government approval to buy Time Warner Cable. This company said that it will serve more than 26 million United States customers and more than 19 million in Latin America.

FCC REVIEWS FOR THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST

The requirements from the FCC, which ensures that deals are in the interest of the public, include protections for rival video and pledges to expand high-speed Internet services to low-income Americans, schools and other customers. After more than a year of review, the Federal Communications Commission finalized its vote to approve the deal with conditions that will be imposed for four years and enforced by an internal and external compliance officers. The conditions imposed by the FCC address potential harms presented by the combination. This conditionals also ensure that the benefits of the merger will also be realized.

Suppliers of TV are buying one another as video from Internet competitors like Netflix gets more popular and costs rise for channels. Adding TV customers gives AT&T more room to negotiate with big media companies over price for those same channels.

AT&T WILL BE RELEASING NEW TV, INTERNET, AND MOBILE DEALS SOON

The deals also combine as a nationwide satellite TV service with a nationwide wireless network as the amount of time that is spent on mobile devices increases. AT&T says that it will also launch new TV, Internet, and mobile phone bundles in the next coming weeks.

With this merger, DirecTV receives the broadband product it previously didn’t have and AT&T gets new avenues of growth beyond the maturing wireless service. AT&T’s shares were up 1.1 percent and DirecTV shares were up 1.5 percent at the market close.

---

 

try the clever travel companion pickpocket-proof shirt!

AT&T buys DirecTV

Will astronauts soon have to share their Internet from space? - http://clapway.com/2015/06/10/spacex-internet-from-space-means-internet-to-all-123/

Will Astronauts Soon Have To Share Their Internet From Space?

Astronauts may have to share their rapid-fire interconnectivity. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX plans to bring high-speed Internet from space to the rest of the world. In his project to bring internet from space to all parts of the globe — even the most remote of them — Internet might be an equal opportunity feature.

Internet Would Be Equal Access

In order to steep this ambitious project in reality, a web of satellites would have to wrap around the world to provide Internet from space to areas all across the globe. If this works out, Internet would be more cost efficient and higher speed than the Internet we get from existing satellites today.

This is an unusual project for SpaceX as it is primarily a rocket company. But it could put SpaceX on the map as a huge high-speed Internet provider that gives equal access to Internet. Why is this worthwhile? Upon project success, SpaceX could be responsible for helping billions of people access Internet for the first time! The only entities that may not be too happy about this might be AT&T and Comcast as SpaceX’s success would put these companies in direct competition with one another.

How SpaceX Will Test This Project

U.S. government must permit federal approval in order to begin testing on this project. Once this is approved, what awaits is still quite a long journey. They submitted their proposal to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) late last month.

The proposal submitted to the the U.S. government requesting for approval describes the testing phase. There would be a web of about 4,000 smaller, cheaper satellite prototypes that would beam high-speed Internet from space to all regions of the world. The web of satellite prototypes would launch from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. It would orbit the Earth and connect to three ground stations located on the West Coast. The goal of the testing is to figure out if their technology is capable of beaming reliable, efficient Internet from space to the ground.

Space Internet Has A Future

If not Musk, it may have been someone else. Richard Brandon, Virgin Group’s founder had similar ambitions. The same goes for Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates also wanted to bring Internet to all. It’s possible that Musk will take from any roadblocks these businessmen encountered, and become the one who is able to persist and find success. According to the Washington Post’s reports, Google and Fidelity have invested $1 billion into funding for SpaceX’s–part of the investment was specifically for this groundbreaking Internet project.

If all goes well, SpaceX would begin testing phase for their ambitious Internet project starting 2016. We could be seeing this service publicly available as soon as within the next five years. While this is a branch out from Musk’s usual ambitions of space travel and exploration, it’s not entirely unrelated. Musk describes his vision as “rebuilding the Internet in space.”

With so many reasons to get excited about space technology, why not share the fun with your youngsters with Space Scouts Summer Adventure?:

SpaceX: Internet from Space Means Internet to All