Comcast adds fiber, hot spots in Elgin area

Comcast announced Monday the addition of nearly six miles of fiber optic network to serve businesses in Elgin and South Elgin while also offering more than 7,000 Wi-Fi hot spots in the area, including more than 60 in outdoor locations.

There are now two miles of fiber optic network in Elgin near Interstate 90 and Randall Road and four miles of network along Schneider Drive from Bowes Road south to Sundown Road in South Elgin that will give businesses who are Comcast customers the ability to access high-speed Internet up to 10 Gbps, the company said in a news release.

"Proactive investments in our technology infrastructure will help Elgin compete at a regional, national and even international level, as well as help create good jobs and attract new companies that require access to high-speed, high-capacity data networks," Elgin Mayor David Kaptain said in a news release.

People who are not customers of Comcast can access Wi-Fi hot spots up to twice a month for an hour each time; after that, usage is available for a fee, said Jack A. Segal, vice president of communications for Comcast's greater Chicago region.

The company has been building the infrastructure over the last three years, he said. Overall, Comcast has built or added to its fiber network in downtown Chicago, near O'Hare and Midway airports, along major suburban office corridors and many other Chicago and suburban locations, he said.

"We have done that in locations where we felt there was the potential for growth, and we felt like Elgin really was a location we wanted to service and provide this level of service to."

There are nearly 450 Wi-Fi hot spots in local businesses and more than 6,700 in homes in Elgin and South Elgin, the release said.

Xfinity Wi-Fi hot spots can be located via iOS and Android apps or by visiting xfinity.com/WiFi. Businesses which are Comcast customers can offer - at no additional charge to the businesses - Wi-Fi hot spots to its customers, Segal added.

Also, a new high-speed Internet service called Gigabit Pro for homes within one-third mile of the fiber network soon will go live across Comcast's service area, including northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan, Segal said.

"We know that Internet service and high-speed, faster service is really key to the economy and we are trying to bring this to as many businesses and residents as possible," he said.