Comcast offering gigabit internet speed in Pittsburgh

Comcast announced Monday that Pittsburgh customers can now access internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

The gigabit speed will be about five times faster than Comcast's current fastest plan, which clocks in at up to 200 megabits per second, the company said.

Gigabit speeds would likely help residential customers with multiple devices connected to the internet and streaming movies, games and other content simultaneously.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto likened the coming of gigabit internet service to the advent of the railroads.

“I'm thrilled that Pittsburgh is now a gig city. Just like cities grew by being railroad hubs in the 19th century, they'll prosper by having ultra-fast internet connectivity in the 21st,” Peduto said in a statement released by Comcast.

Download speeds will be up to a gigabit per second, and upload speeds will be 35 megabits per second.

Most of Pittsburgh will have access to the gigabit service starting Monday. Customers in Washington County, the North Hills and the Mon Valley should have access in two to three weeks. Customers in Beaver County's Beaver Falls, New Brighton, Midland and select other areas will have access to gigabit Monday, while folks in the rest of Beaver County will have it by year's end.

Customers can upgrade to gigabit-speed internet for a promotional price of $79.99 a month for 12 months. After a year, the service jumps to $104.95 a month. Customers will need a new modem to handle the faster speed and may need new wireless routers and other devices capable of handling gigabit speed.

Comcast began rolling out gigabit-speed internet service in 2016. The company offers it in Philadelphia, State College, Lancaster and Harrisburg.

Verizon, a Comcast competitor, started offering gigabit-speeds through its FIOS internet service in April in select Pittsburgh areas. The company expects a wider rollout by year's end.

Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer.