Comcast Business Expands Fiber Optic Network In Englewood

Comcast Business Expands Fiber Optic Network In Englewood

Comcast announced recently that it has expanded its network to Englewood Square, a 5.5 acre retail development anchored by Whole Foods in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. This proactive technology infrastructure investment, which includes fiber optic and coaxial cable, will give retailers in the development access to Internet speeds of up to 10 Gbps (100 Gbps on a case-by-case basis), along with a wide range of Comcast Business services, including Ethernet, Internet, Voice and value-added cloud services. Fiber means increased bandwidth – and increased bandwidth allows businesses to better serve customers, access more and more applications and services in the cloud, accommodate rapidly increasing numbers of employees in the field using mobile devices and exchange large amounts of data. Having the fiber so close also allows Comcast to install new customers more quickly and could reduce or even eliminate their start-up costs.

The investment Comcast is making in Englewood and other locations in Chicago and its suburbs is in response to strong demand for its Comcast Business offerings. It also aligns with efforts many communities are making to expand their local telecommunications and information technology infrastructure and revitalize their economies.

“Our hope is that Comcast’s state-of-the-art technology infrastructure will help stimulate additional economic growth in Englewood,” said John Crowley, Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region senior vice president. “Comcast has had an economic presence in Englewood for years. We have thousands of customers in the neighborhood and make nearly 12,000 visits a year to their homes and businesses each month. In the process, our employees purchase gas, meals and other goods and services. In addition, we have more than 200 employees in two south side facilities that serve Englewood.”

“We’re thrilled that Whole Foods, Comcast and other companies have chosen to invest in Englewood and encourage others to follow suit,” said Chicago 16th Ward Alderman Toni Foulkes. “Our hope is that the presence of these companies will attract additional employers and serve as a catalyst for additional investment in the neighborhood.”

All told, Comcast has about 11,000 miles of fiber across its Greater Chicago Region, which includes locations in Chicago and the rest of Illinois, Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan where the company provides service. As part of this investment, Comcast has been adding fiber to reach city and suburban business and industrial corridors and employment hubs. In addition to Englewood, Comcast has built fiber to diverse areas in the region, including Chicago’s Back of the Yards and Bridgeport neighborhoods; the Peterson Pulaski Business and Industrial Park; near O’Hare and Midway airports; Interstate 88 in Chicago’s west suburbs and Interstate 90 in Chicago’s northwest suburbs; Morris, IL; and Elgin and South Elgin, IL, among others.

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