Comcast to Charge $300 for New Internet Service

Following the announcement that Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is doubling the speed of two of its existing Xfinity Internet services (Xfinity Blast! and Extreme 50), the company has announced Xfinity Platinum Internet, its fastest broadband service yet.

However, there is one thing Comcast has not yet confirmed -- the price.

According to Hot Hardware, the newly unveiled Xfinity Platinum Internet service could cost as much as $300 a month.

For that hefty monthly fee -- which dwarfs the price of other Internet services (and even some netbook computers) -- users get download speeds of up to 305 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 65 Mbps.

The Platinum service also comes with a subscription to Xfinity Signature Support, which offers 24/7 tech support, the ability to create a secure home network, a dedicated personal consultant, and the Constant Guard Security Suite. Xfinity Signature Support normally retails for $9.95 per month, but Platinum subscribers will get it for free.

Comcast has not announced the official price point for the new service. However, its chief competitor is expected to be Verizon (NYSE: VZ), which currently offers the Quantum FiOS service for roughly $200 a month. Quantum FiOS speeds come in at 300Mbps for downloads and 65Mbps for uploads.

Comcast also faces growing competition from AT&T (NYSE: T), which offers cheaper and slower Internet services, but continues to grow in popularity. Tuesday morning, the telecommunications giant announced that it had increased its subscriber base by more than 500,000 users, reaching a total of 6.5 million consumers.

All three companies have been attempting to diversify their businesses and offer a greater number of services to their customers.

Earlier this year, Comcast announced a new streaming video service called Xfinity Streampix. Offering the cheapest options available, Comcast is one of the newest pay-TV corporations to challenge Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Hulu.

Comcast is not the only one looking to make waves in streaming video. In February, Verizon and Coinstar (NASDAQ: CSTR) teamed up to produce a new service that features streaming videos and Redbox DVDs.

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