Xfinity Is Hyping 10G Internet. But What Is It and How Do You Get It? (2024)

Chances are you’ve probably come across ads hyping the Xfinity 10G Network. But what is it? And what’s 10G?

The Xfinity 10G Network is not a particular internet plan or a new type of internet service. It also has nothing to do with 5G or mobile internet. Xfinity has 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 this time, there are no new Xfinity internet plans or features that directly correspond to the Xfinity 10G Network, though some benefits of Xfinity’s upgrades are already being felt by customers.

That doesn’t mean bigger things aren’t coming, though. The Xfinity 10G Network will bring fiber-like speeds and perks to cable internet customers in 2023. Let’s dig a little deeper into the Xfinity 10G Network and how you can get it.

Jump to: What is the Xfinity 10G Network? | What is 10G Internet? | When will the Xfinity 10G Network be ready? | How to get on Xfinity 10G Network | The tech behind the Xfinity 10G Network | FAQ

Jump to:

• What is the Xfinity 10G Network?
• What is 10G Internet?
• When will the Xfinity 10G Network be ready?
• How to get on the Xfinity 10G Network
• The tech behind the Xfinity 10G Network
• FAQ

While a fiber-like experience isn’t yet available to Xfinity customers, the recent upgrades to Xfinity’s network have the potential to improve the entire service as a whole. So new and existing Xfinity customers may already be 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 could hit the Xfinity 10G Network before the end of 2023.

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 is one of the most ambitious goals of the Xfinity 10G Network.

We don’t have hard numbers on what the actual speeds will be on the Xfinity 10G Network, but Comcast has stated that it expects to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds to customers in 2023. That means we should get at least 2Gbps downstream and upstream speeds.

Xfinity’s new xFi gateway provides the capability to experience the benefits of the Xfinity 10G 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.

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, even if we do see the term used in Xfinity’s marketing. In all likelihood, it will be years before we see 10Gbps speeds over cable internet, but Xfinity seems to be pretty close to achieving one the key milestones of 10G: multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds.

All Xfinity internet plans are powered by the Xfinity 10G Network, so existing customers are already connected with no upgrade required. New customers will experience the Xfinity 10G 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:

1. When can customers get on the Xfinity 10G Network?
2. When will customers get fiber-like speeds with Xfinity?
3. When will customers get true 10G internet with Xfinity?

You can get access to the Xfinity 10G Network right now, and every Xfinity customer already has access to it. Xfinity now refers to its entire network as the Xfinity 10G Network, but it isn’t a true 10G network yet, and it doesn’t yet deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds like fiber internet.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get Xfinity. 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.

These are some very fast Xfinity internet plans you can get right now on the Xfinity 10G Network:

*For 12 months. No term contract. Taxes and equipment not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount.

^†For 24 months. No term contract. Taxes not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount.

Data as of 3/6/2023. Prices and availability vary by location.

How do your internet speeds stack up against the Xfinity 10G Network?

Need more speed? Take our speed test to see if you’re getting the speed you need.

Download our free, easy-to-use speed test app for quick and reliable results.

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 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 over cable. Xfinity has been making steady progress towards these speeds with a successful test of multi-gig speeds last year, and most recently, Xfinity announced it will have foundational 10G upgrades available to over 10 million homes and businesses by the end of February, 2023, and to 50 million homes by 2025.

The Xfinity 10G Network refers to the Xfinity network as a whole. It’s not a new type of internet plan or service. According to Xfinity, every Xfinity customer already has access to the Xfinity 10G Network, regardless of what plan or equipment they have. Xfinity provides what is arguably the best cable internet available in the U.S. That being said, nothing has fundamentally changed regarding Xfinity’s offerings since 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 10Gbps download speeds and 6 Gbps upload speeds. Unfortunately, that network doesn’t exist yet. But Xfinity is showing it’s determined to get there first.

Shop Xfinity plans

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.

Xfinity’s newest and most powerful gateway yet, the xFi gateway, enhances the convenience of the Xfinity 10G 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.

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.

What is the Xfinity 10G Network?

How can I get on the Xfinity 10G Network?

How fast is the Xfinity 10G Network?