Comcast lights Ethernet services for Kansas City-area business customers

Comcast Business has expanded its Ethernet service capabilities in eastern Kansas City, Missouri, laying a greater challenge to local incumbent telco Consolidated Communications.

The service provider, which is also extending the service set to Olathe, Kansas, will offer local businesses a portfolio of multi-Gigabit Ethernet options to link multiple sites or branch locations, or to connect their offices to a third-party data center.

Similar to other markets where Comcast Business offers Ethernet service, eligible customers will be able to get access to four main flavors: point-to-point Ethernet Private Line, point-to-multipoint Ethernet Virtual Private Line, Ethernet Network Service and Ethernet Dedicated Internet.

Hap Graff, president and CEO of the Independence Chamber of Commerce, said the presence of Comcast Business will make the community a more attractive spot to locate a business. 

“As a growing and vibrant innovation hub, our businesses need the latest technology to compete in today’s world of immediate commerce and communications,” Graff said in a release.

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But Ethernet services are just one part of this latest expansion.

Comcast Business also now offers larger businesses in the Kansas City suburban area the option to purchase hosted phone applications through Session Initiation Protocol Trunking, which includes advanced features for improving business continuity and disaster recovery.

Business services continue to be a growing area for Comcast.

During the fourth quarter, Comcast reported business services overall were $1.44 billion, up from $1.26 billion in the same period a year ago. The cable MSO said that business services revenue rose 14.5% due to an increase in small business customers and medium-sized customers.

Network expansions into new markets will likely help Comcast Business bolster their revenue further.

Outside of Kansas City, Comcast began a multimillion-dollar expansion of its fiber-based network across Montgomery County, Maryland, in October. It also won a multiyear agreement with its hometown of Philadelphia to build an Institutional Network aimed at enhancing local business access to higher broadband speeds while reducing costs.