Comcast now third largest residential phone company

Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced that consumers switching to Comcast s Digital Voice service have made Comcast the third-largest residential phone service provider in the country. Consumers are continuing to select Comcast s low cost and rich features for phone service throughout its 39-state service area.
The news marks a major milestone for the company and reinforces its commitment to reinvent home phone service and offer consumers a way to cut household expenses during a difficult economic climate.
Comcast Digital Voice® now serves 6.47 million customers, which exceeds Qwest s reported residential subscriber base. The popularity of Comcast s innovative offerings with consumers has enabled Comcast to add residential subscribers in each of the last twelve quarters.
Consumers are switching to Comcast s Digital Voice Service because of our low prices, reliable service and innovative features, said Pam Mackenzie, Area Vice President for Comcast in Vermont. Comcast Digital Voice is reinventing home phone service for the 21st Century and we are thrilled that millions of consumers today are choosing Comcast for home phone service. We now offer features that integrate with our video and high speed internet products and we re deploying a next generation cordless phone that lets customers do more than just make phone calls. Best of all, we can do all this with a service that is rated number one in call clarity and that helps consumers cut their home phone expenses by 20 to 30 percent or more.
In addition to offering a high-quality, reliable and value-added home phone service, Comcast Digital Voice customers benefit from a number of new, innovative home phone products and features, including SmartZone ¢ Communications Center, a feature-rich online portal that enables customers to manage their emails and voice mails in one easy place, and to sync contact information from multiple sources into one universal address book. Additional products and features that are expected to launch this year in Vermont include Universal Caller ID, a free service for Comcast Digital Voice customers that allows them to view incoming caller information on their TV or PC while watching a movie or surfing the Web; and Enhanced Cordless Telephone, an innovative home phone that offers all of the popular features that come with Comcast Digital Voice® plus integrated services and advanced functionality such as the ability to view email, view/forward/manage voice mail from the phone or PC, read news, sports and horoscopes, access a universal address book and search the Yellow Pages all on the enhanced cordless phone.
The competitive entrants in the residential phone market are saving consumers billions of dollars every year. A study by economic consulting firm MiCRA found that consumers saved $13 billion alone in 2007 because of phone competition from companies like Comcast. The savings for consumers is proof of the success of pro-competitive policies that ensure choice for consumers. While Comcast s Digital Voice service continues to grow and redefines home phone service, it continues to compete for customers and remains a new entrant into a market that is dominated by legacy providers AT&T, Verizon and Qwest.
Since entering Vermont in November 2006, Comcast has aggressively expanded its services across the Green Mountain State, investing in its advanced fiber-optic network to bring broadband services to previously unserved homes and businesses and partnering with local communities. The company has launched a number of its advanced services in just over two years, including Digital Cable with On Demand, High-Definition Television Service, Digital Video Recorders, Comcast High-Speed Internet service and Comcast Digital Voice. In addition, Comcast has offered programming of special interest to Vermonters. Comcast also assists local non-profit organizations in Vermont with financial, in-kind and employee volunteer support. Comcast serves more than 100,000 customers in Vermont and employs approximately 300 individuals.
For more information about Comcast Digital Voice visit www.comcast.com/comcastdigitalvoice/
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.2 million cable customers, 14.9 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.5 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten Comcast SportsNet networks and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
*Number one in call clarity based upon an independent study preformed by Keynote dated November 2008, Wave 6 Study.