Xfinity Was Hyping 10G Internet In 2023. But What Was It and How Could You Get It?
Feb 23, 2024 | Share 
Internet Speed Guides, Technology
In 2023, you may have come across ads hyping the Xfinity 10G Network. But what was it? And what’s 10G?
The Xfinity 10G Network was not a particular internet plan or a new type of internet service. It also had nothing to do with 5G or mobile internet. In early 2023, Xfinity rebranded its entire nationwide internet network as the Xfinity 10G Network to reflect recent and future upgrades that will improve Xfinity’s internet service. At the time, there were no new Xfinity internet plans or features that directly corresponded to the Xfinity 10G Network, though some benefits of Xfinity’s upgrades were already being felt by customers.
Xfinity has since backpedaled on the 10G terminology, and perhaps it’s for the best. At the time of the rebranding, while the Xfinity network was already providing fiber-like download speeds to cable internet customers, none of it’s plans pulled 10Gbps download speeds as may be inferred by the 10G Network branding. Let’s dig a little deeper into the upgraded Xfinity network and how you can benefit from it.
What was the Xfinity 10G Network?
Xfinity put a lot of work (including a Super Bowl commercial) into announcing the rebranding of its nationwide internet network as the Xfinity 10G Network. But the change was more than just a rebranding; Xfinity had performed substantial upgrades to its network that laid the groundwork for super-fast symmetrical internet speeds, much like those experienced by fiber internet customers.
While a fiber-like experience wasn’t yet available to Xfinity customers at the time of the 10G rebranding, the recent upgrades to Xfinity’s network had the potential to improve the entire service as a whole. So new and existing Xfinity customers may have already been experiencing an overall improvement in their internet service.
According to Xfinity, further improvements, including speed upgrades, symmetrical speeds, better latency, and more advanced Wi-Fi were due hit the Xfinity 10G Network before the end of 2023.
Faster speeds and symmetrical bandwidth on the way
One of the biggest advantages fiber internet has over cable is its capability to deliver symmetrical speeds—which means your upload speeds are just as fast as your download speeds. Providing that same symmetrical bandwidth capability was one of the most ambitious goals of the Xfinity 10G Network.
At the time of the 10G rebranding, we didn’t have hard numbers on what the actual speeds would be on the Xfinity network, but Comcast had stated that it expected to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds to customers in 2023. That meant we should expect at least 2Gbps downstream and upstream speeds.
Ultra-low latency
Xfinity’s upgrades aimed to improved latency (the amount of time it takes data to travel from one place to another). Better latency impacts time-sensitive applications the most: things like gaming and video calls, where second-by-second differences in speed and responsiveness have a noticeable effect. Xfinity’s infrastructure upgrades and new xFi gateway both play a part in creating a lag-free ultra-fast internet experience over hardwired and Wi-Fi connections alike.
Better Wi-Fi
Xfinity’s xFi gateway provides the capability to experience the benefits of the Xfinity network over a wireless connection with Wi-Fi 6 technology. When Xfinity’s multi-gig symmetrical speeds are ready, the xFi gateway will deliver those speeds wirelessly.
Xfinity is also preparing a “storm-ready” Wi-Fi gateway with a backup battery. So even power outages won’t get in the way of fast and steady Xfinity Wi-Fi.
What is 10G internet?
First of all, 10G has nothing to do with mobile internet. It’s not twice as good as 5G, nor is it wireless technology. The 10G internet initiative is also not exclusive to Xfinity.
The term 10G internet refers to an initiative of cable internet ISPs and organizations to create a cable internet network that supports 10 gigabit per second (10,000Mbps) download speeds and 6 gigabit per second (6,000Mbps) upload speeds. The 10G push also aims to greatly enhance cable internet through ultra-low latency and improved security among other substantial improvements.
Xfinity provides excellent internet service as evidenced by its high ratings in our annual survey. But Xfinity has yet to achieve the ambitious goals of the broader cable internet 10G initiative on large scale, even if we did see the term used in Xfinity’s marketing. In all likelihood, it will be years before we see widespread 10Gbps speeds over cable internet, but Xfinity seems to be pretty close to achieving one the key milestones of 10G: widespread multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds.
When will the upgraded Xfinity network be ready?
All Xfinity internet plans are powered by the upgraded Xfinity network, so existing customers are already connected with no upgrade required. New customers will experience the upgraded Xfinity network automatically when they join Xfinity. But when customers can expect a truly next-level internet experience is a more complicated question.
There are three ways we can look at it:
When can customers access the upgraded Xfinity network? Right now.
You can get access to the upgraded Xfinity network right now, and every Xfinity customer already has access to it. Over the past year, Xfinity referred to its entire network as the Xfinity 10G Network, before it was able to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds like fiber internet. Xfinity has since achieved multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds with its X-Class plans, though availability is still very limited.
Even if you can’t get X-Class, Xfinity is one of the fastest cable ISPs and provides arguably the best cable internet connection you can get in the U.S. The future looks even brighter as Xfinity maintains an extremely aggressive upgrade schedule. Xfinity’s persistent upgrades have already started to show in places like our annual customer satisfaction survey, where Xfinity was rated the top national ISP for speed for the second year in a row, even beating several fiber internet providers.
When will customers get fiber-like speeds on Xfinity? Now, if you have access to Xfinity X-Class.
Xfinity has announced that multi-gig symmetrical speeds with it’s X-Class plans, which essentially creates a fiber internet experience for cable internet customers. X-Class plans still have very limited availability. When Xfinity delivers these speeds on a larger scale, that will probably feel like we’ve reached the next big thing with cable internet.
How do your internet speeds stack up against the upgraded Xfinity network?
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When will customers get true 10G speeds on Xfinity?
10G internet isn’t exclusive to Xfinity. The term 10G refers to a general initiative to deliver speeds of 10Gbps downstream and 6Gbps upstream over cable internet. But no cable ISP, including Xfinity, is about release widespread speeds like that anytime soon.
What is on the horizon are gigabit symmetrical speeds over cable internet networks, and Xfinity will likely be the first to deliver this fiber-like experience on a large scale over cable. Xfinity has been making steady progress towards these speeds with a successful test of multi-gig speeds in 2022, and more recently, Xfinity announced it will have foundational upgrades available to over 10 million homes and businesses by the end of February, 2023, and to 50 million homes by 2025. Xfinity is already delivering multigigabit symmetrical speeds via it’s X-Class internet plans.
How to get on the upgraded Xfinity network
The Xfinity 10G Network referred to the Xfinity network as a whole. It’s wasn’t a new type of internet plan or service. According to Xfinity, every Xfinity customer immediately had access to the Xfinity 10G Network, regardless of what plan or equipment they had. Xfinity provides what is arguably the best cable internet available in the U.S. That being said, nothing had fundamentally changed regarding Xfinity’s offerings with the rebranding to the Xfinity 10G Network.
The term 10G refers to a general initiative by cable internet companies to create a cable internet network capable of widespread 10Gbps download speeds and 6Gbps upload speeds. Unfortunately, that network doesn’t exist yet. But Xfinity is showing it’s determined to get there first.
The tech behind the upgraded Xfinity network
The upgraded Xfinity network is the result of key infrastructure and equipment upgrades that have the potential to make ultra-fast and symmetrical speeds over a cable internet connection a reality. Distributed Access Architecture (DAA), DOCSIS 4.0, and Wi-Fi 6e each play a big part in Xfinity’s plans to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds to customers.
Super fast symmetrical speeds with DOCSIS 4.0
One of the key goals of Xfinity’s upgrades is to prepare its network to run on DOCSIS 4.0. DOCSIS stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification. It’s an international standard used for cable internet. DOCSIS 4.0, is essential for multigigabit symmetrical speeds over cable internet.
Cable ISPs currently use DOCSIS 3.1, which only supports up to 1Gbps upload speeds, while DOCSIS 4.0 supports up to 6Gbps upload speeds. Additionally, DOCSIS 4.0 comes with latency and security improvements.
Learn more about DOCSIS in our comparison of DOCSIS 3.0 and DOCSIS 3.1.
xFi Internet Gateway and Wi-Fi 6e
Xfinity’s newest and most powerful gateway yet, the xFi gateway, enhances the convenience of the upgraded Xfinity network by allowing customers to experience Xfinity’s upcoming gigabit symmetrical speeds over Wi-Fi.
The xFi gateway uses Wi-Fi 6e, which is capable of much faster speeds than the previous Wi-Fi 5. Wi-Fi 6e also improves latency up to 75%, which can really tighten up the responsiveness of things like gaming and video calls.
Impacts of 10G Cable Internet
Probably the biggest effect of 10G will have is providing more widespread availability of gigabit speeds. Multigig symmetrical speeds are already available from fiber ISPs; So why is it such a big deal if cable ISPs do the same thing? It’s a big deal because cable internet is much more widely available.
If cable ISPs have the same bandwidth capabilities as fiber, more people will get those crazy-fast speeds. When really fast internet speeds become the norm, developers will create applications that can utilize all that bandwidth.
And that’s when we’ll start to see evolutions in internet applications that truly look like something out of the future. The applications for 10G bandwidth will likely touch just about everything we do: shopping, healthcare, education, and more.
Learn more about the broader 10G initiative with our guide on 10G internet.
FAQ
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Author - Austin Aguirre
Austin worked as a broadband technician installing and troubleshooting countless home internet networks for some of the largest ISPs in the U.S. He became a freelance writer in 2020 specializing in software guides. After graduating with a BS in technical communication from Arizona State University, he joined the team at HighSpeedInternet.com where he focuses on home network improvement and troubleshooting.
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