• by Wayne Friedman , April 14, 2011

Comcast and other big Internet providers may have some concerns over those Internet hoarders who download big files of movies and TV shows and chew up broadband time. But now it is making their lives a bit easier -- offering them a fast service, as well as making them pay more for it.

Comcast is offering the fastest residential Internet service ever -- something called Extreme 105, part of its "Xfinity Internet speed tier." The 105 refers to 105 Mbps -- this versus the previous fastest residential Internet service, 6 Mbps.

Where it would normally take 30 minutes to download a standard-definition movie and 90 minutes to download an HD movie, the new service will allow people to download a standard-definition movie in two minutes and an HD movie in five.

Extreme 105 will be available in 40 million homes in major markets across the nation including San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Chicago, Miami, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and the majority of Boston, among others.

The Extreme 105 Mbps service, which also offers up to 10 Mbps upload speeds, is available for new or existing customers at an introductory rate of $105 per month for 12 months as part of the Comcast Triple Play bundle -- phone, internet, and video.

"This speed tier continues to expand our portfolio of Internet service offerings and takes them up to a whole new level," said Cathy Avgiris, senior vp and general manager of communications and data services for Comcast.

The product is part of Comcast's Xfinity Internet service -- which also features a Web site where Comcast consumers can watch full-length TV episodes. Xfinity Internet customers have free access to the Xfinity Mobile app for iPhone, iPod touch and Android-powered devices.