How High Is Upload Speed on Comcast

Comcast but released a 2020 Network Performance Information report with stats on how much Internet usage rose during the pandemic, and it said that upload use is growing faster than download employ. "Pinnacle downstream traffic in 2020 increased approximately 38 per centum over 2019 levels and peak upstream traffic increased approximately 56 per centum over 2019 levels," Comcast said.

But while upload use on Comcast's network quickly grows—driven largely by videoconferencing among people working and learning at home—the nation's largest home-Internet provider with over xxx million customers advertises its speed tiers equally if uploading doesn't be. Comcast'southward 56 pct increase in upstream traffic made me wonder if the company will increase upload speeds whatsoever time shortly, so I checked out Comcast'southward Xfinity.com site today to see the electric current upload speeds. Getting that data was even more hard than I expected.

The Xfinity website advertises cable-Internet plans with download speeds starting at 25Mbps without mentioning that upstream speeds are just a fraction of the downstream ones. I went through Comcast'due south online ordering system today and found no mention of upload speeds anywhere. Fifty-fifty clicking "pricing & other info" and "view plan details" links to read the fine print on various Net plans didn't reveal upload speeds.

Even afterwards calculation a program to the cart and going through most of the checkout process, I could non find any mention of upload speeds. I got to the point where you have to enter credit bill of fare information to continue, then I initially stopped in that location. I afterwards confirmed that Comcast'due south ordering arrangement will bear witness upload speeds after it checks whether your credit carte is valid, in the final page where you submit an lodge.

Deliberately keeping customers in the dark

I've long known that it'south difficult to find upload speeds on Comcast's website, merely I'm not sure exactly when it became almost impossible. There were complaints nigh this very trouble on Comcast'south customer support forums in 2020 and in 2019, though. "What is my upload speed now? No where in the world can I observe documentation," i client asked. The answer was that existing customers can notice upload speeds for their ain program in their account settings subsequently logging in and navigating to the correct section.

But that does not help people who are signing up for service and want to find out what upload speeds they'll get or compare upload speeds of different plans. Even the Xfinity.com comparison tool that lets you lot compare details of different plans doesn't reveal their upload speeds. The absence of upload speeds from Comcast'south website is and then thorough that it is conspicuously a deliberate attempt to keep customers in the dark. This gallery shows how the Comcast Xfinity website displays Cyberspace plans without mentioning upload speeds and continues that tactic through nearly the unabridged checkout process:

• Comcast's website displays these Internet offers in my location without stating upload speeds.

• Comcast has a tool that lets you compare ii plans—but it doesn't evidence the plans' different upload speeds.

  Comcast

• After adding a plan to the cart, you can start the checkout process. No upload speeds are in sight.

  Comcast

• Nosotros still don't know what the upload speeds are, merely Comcast tells us nigh its "Flex" streaming box.

  Comcast

• At present we can select an installation engagement and fourth dimension, simply upload speeds notwithstanding are non revealed.

  Comcast

• Now you accept to enter your credit bill of fare information—but afterward doing so volition Comcast permit you see the 300Mbps download programme's 10Mbps upload speeds.

  Comcast

Thankfully, the third-party website CableTV.com lists both download and upload speeds, showing that Comcast's 25Mbps download plan comes with 3Mbps uploads; the 100Mbps and 200Mbps download plans both have 5Mbps uploads; the 300Mbps download programme has 10Mbps uploads; the 600Mbps plan has 15Mbps uploads; and the 1Gbps download (one.2Gbps in some areas) comes with 35Mbps:

Enlarge / Comcast speeds and prices, no thank you to Comcast'south website.

Comcast's website does list the 35Mbps upload speeds for the gigabit plan at this folio, merely I couldn't find anything similar for Comcast'due south other cablevision-Internet plans. Comcast also offers a fiber-to-the-home service with 2Gbps speeds both downstream and upstream. Merely Comcast's residential cobweb requires installation charges of up to $500, and the service costs $300 a month, which is more than three times as much as the gigabit-cablevision plan that has 35Mbps downloads.

Comcast, why did yous make this then difficult?

I contacted Comcast today with two primary questions: is there any way to find upload speeds on Comcast'south website before submitting an gild for Internet service, and does Comcast have whatsoever plans to raise its cable upload speeds?

Comcast's respond on where to find upstream speeds was equally follows:

Our network report shows that, despite the growth in upstream traffic in 2020, patterns remain highly asymmetrical as downstream volumes were 14x higher than upstream throughout 2020. Our website reflects the way customers utilise the Internet with downstream overwhelmingly dominating usage, but upstream speeds are included in your cart and are visible upon check out when you submit your order.

Despite Comcast claiming that "upstream speeds are included in your cart," I could find no evidence of this. Calculation a Comcast Internet programme to the cart and so clicking the cart icon brought me to an ordering page that does non mention upload speeds. I confirmed this behavior on Xfinity.com in both Chrome and Safari.

I circled back to the Comcast spokesperson and asked what verbal steps I demand to take to make upload speeds show upward in the cart. It turns out the upload speeds never prove up in the cart at all unless you lot define "cart" to include the entire ordering process. Comcast told us the upload speeds will finally appear "when you are at the step when yous review your social club."

Despite my before reluctance to enter my credit card information for service I am not ordering, I finally did so to check whether this is accurate. I submitted my address, telephone number, and credit carte du jour information, and I clicked "Next." This triggered a step in which Comcast's system checked to see whether I had entered a valid credit bill of fare. I accidentally entered a recently expired card number, then Comcast's system "declined" my card and made me re-enter it. After I entered a card number that Comcast could charge, I finally got to this folio, where the 300Mbps download-plan'south 10Mbps upload speeds are shown:

Enlarge / The last folio in Comcast'southward ordering system.

Xfinity.com

At this page, with Comcast having already verified your carte du jour, you can view upload speeds and make up one's mind whether to submit the society or exit the ordering organization. The role of Comcast's statement that upload speeds are "visible upon check out when yous submit your order" is thus accurate. Simply refusing to tell a prospective customer what they're paying for until later on they submit credit card information is merely ridiculous. You can probably get upload speeds earlier by asking a Comcast rep in an online conversation or phone phone call, but that shouldn't exist necessary.

Update: Afterward excavation through Comcast's list of customer agreements, policies, and disclosures, I found a now-outdated network direction folio that includes download and upload speeds. It appears to be the newest such list available on Comcast'due south website, but it was published on August 19, 2019 and the listed speeds don't match Comcast's current offerings.

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Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/comcast-hides-upload-speeds-deep-inside-its-infuriating-ordering-system/

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