What Are the Upload Speeds on Comcast

Comcast just released a 2020 Network Operation Information report with stats on how much Internet usage rose during the pandemic, and information technology said that upload utilize is growing faster than download use. "Peak downstream traffic in 2020 increased approximately 38 percent over 2019 levels and peak upstream traffic increased approximately 56 percent over 2019 levels," Comcast said.

But while upload use on Comcast'southward network rapidly grows—driven largely by videoconferencing among people working and learning at dwelling house—the nation's largest home-Cyberspace provider with over 30 million customers advertises its speed tiers as if uploading doesn't exist. Comcast's 56 pct increment in upstream traffic made me wonder if the company volition increment upload speeds any time shortly, so I checked out Comcast's Xfinity.com site today to see the current upload speeds. Getting that information was fifty-fifty more than difficult 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's online ordering organisation today and found no mention of upload speeds anywhere. Fifty-fifty clicking "pricing & other info" and "view program details" links to read the fine print on various Net plans didn't reveal upload speeds.

Even afterward calculation a programme to the cart and going through most of the checkout process, I could non detect whatever mention of upload speeds. I got to the point where you have to enter credit bill of fare information to go on, so I initially stopped in that location. I later confirmed that Comcast's ordering organisation will show upload speeds after information technology checks whether your credit card is valid, in the concluding page where yous submit an club.

Deliberately keeping customers in the nighttime

I've long known that it'due south difficult to find upload speeds on Comcast'south website, but I'm not certain exactly when it became almost impossible. There were complaints about this very problem on Comcast'southward customer support forums in 2020 and in 2019, though. "What is my upload speed now? No where in the world can I find documentation," i customer asked. The answer was that existing customers can find upload speeds for their own plan in their account settings after logging in and navigating to the correct department.

Only that does non assist people who are signing upward for service and desire to detect out what upload speeds they'll go or compare upload speeds of dissimilar plans. Even the Xfinity.com comparison tool that lets you compare details of different plans doesn't reveal their upload speeds. The absence of upload speeds from Comcast'southward website is so thorough that it is clearly a deliberate endeavour to keep customers in the nighttime. This gallery shows how the Comcast Xfinity website displays Internet plans without mentioning upload speeds and continues that tactic through nearly the entire checkout procedure:

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

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

  Comcast

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

  Comcast

• We still don't know what the upload speeds are, only Comcast tells us almost its "Flex" streaming box.

  Comcast

• At present we can select an installation date and time, only upload speeds however are not revealed.

  Comcast

• At present you accept to enter your credit carte information—only afterwards doing so volition Comcast permit you encounter the 300Mbps download plan'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 plan has 10Mbps uploads; the 600Mbps plan has 15Mbps uploads; and the 1Gbps download (1.2Gbps in some areas) comes with 35Mbps:

Enlarge / Comcast speeds and prices, no thanks to Comcast's website.

Comcast'southward website does list the 35Mbps upload speeds for the gigabit programme at this page, just I couldn't find anything similar for Comcast's other cable-Net plans. Comcast also offers a cobweb-to-the-habitation service with 2Gbps speeds both downstream and upstream. But Comcast's residential fiber requires installation charges of up to $500, and the service costs $300 a calendar month, which is more than three times as much as the gigabit-cablevision program that has 35Mbps downloads.

Comcast, why did you brand this so hard?

I contacted Comcast today with two primary questions: is there whatever way to detect upload speeds on Comcast'south website before submitting an order for Internet service, and does Comcast take any plans to raise its cablevision upload speeds?

Comcast's answer on where to detect upstream speeds was as 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 use the Internet with downstream overwhelmingly dominating usage, just upstream speeds are included in your cart and are visible upon cheque out when you submit your order.

Despite Comcast challenge that "upstream speeds are included in your cart," I could find no evidence of this. Adding a Comcast Cyberspace programme to the cart and and so clicking the cart icon brought me to an ordering page that does not 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 exact steps I need to take to make upload speeds show up in the cart. It turns out the upload speeds never evidence upward in the cart at all unless yous ascertain "cart" to include the entire ordering process. Comcast told us the upload speeds will finally appear "when you are at the step when y'all review your order."

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

Enlarge / The last page in Comcast's ordering organization.

Xfinity.com

At this page, with Comcast having already verified your card, you tin view upload speeds and decide whether to submit the lodge or leave the ordering system. The part of Comcast's statement that upload speeds are "visible upon check out when y'all submit your gild" is thus authentic. But refusing to tell a prospective customer what they're paying for until after they submit credit carte du jour information is merely ridiculous. Y'all tin probably get upload speeds earlier by asking a Comcast rep in an online chat or phone call, but that shouldn't be necessary.

Update: Afterward digging through Comcast's listing of customer agreements, policies, and disclosures, I found a now-outdated network management page that includes download and upload speeds. It appears to be the newest such list bachelor on Comcast'southward website, but it was published on August 19, 2019 and the listed speeds don't match Comcast'south electric 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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