ATLANTA, Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications today announced that it has started deploying gigabit Internet service for residential customers in Northern Virginia -- the first gigabit service in the DC Metro area -- allowing customers to seamlessly connect all their new gadgets this holiday. Cox announced that G1GABLAST^SM, which offers speeds 100 times faster than the average speed in the U.S. today, is being deployed to homes in Fairfax County. Cox is the first national telecommunications company to deploy gigabit Internet service to residential customers in Virginia.

Cox is expanding the availability of residential gigabit internet speeds to new developments across Northern Virginia and in Cox locations across the country. The company has already launched G1GABLAST service in 10 states and will have gigabit speeds in all of its markets by the end of 2016.

"We are excited to deliver the choice of gigabit speeds to our customers," said Cox Communications President Pat Esser. "Coupled with our 2,400 employees throughout Cox Virginia and more than 24,000 nationwide, our latest investments and the deployment of the fastest speeds available are powering economic growth and development for businesses and residents of the communities we serve."

Joined by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority President and CEO Dr. Jerry Gordon and other community leaders, Cox Virginia Senior Vice President and Region Manager J.D. Myers, II, announced G1GABLAST is currently available for residents at Timber Ridge at Discovery Square, in Fairfax County just in time for the gift-giving season.

"Cox has invested $1.33 billion in our network in Virginia in the last ten years to meet the growing demands of our customers," said Myers. "We are committed to keeping our residential and businesses customers in Northern Virginia connected to the things they care about most, today and in the years to come."     

G1GABLAST will be available in the Northern Virginia region for $99.99 per month when combined with Cox's most popular service bundles. The service offers speeds as fast as 1,000 megabits per second. It will deliver more speed, a powerful home network and rich broadband enabled services to customers. The service also includes the latest high-speed Wi-Fi router, one terabyte of cloud storage, Cox Security Suite and Family Protection, and 10 email boxes each with 15 gigabytes of storage.

"Fairfax County is one of the top technology hubs in the country. Making this kind of technology available to residents encourages entrepreneurship and drives our economy," said Gordon. "We commend Cox for their continued investment fueling growth in Northern Virginia and across the state."

Cox has provided gigabit speeds to businesses for more than 10 years.  While focused on bringing gigabit speeds to its residential customers, Cox also increased Internet speeds again this year, making our Starter package five times faster and the Essential package three times faster, offering choice and access to meet all customers' individual needs. In 2014, Cox doubled the speeds of its most popular internet service tiers – Preferred and Premier- benefiting more than 75% of its customers. Also, Cox customers with the Ultimate Internet package saw their speeds increase from 150 megabits per second to 200 megabits per second in October. Committed to offering access and choice, Cox has increased broadband speeds more than 1,000 percent over the past 14 years.

In the last 10 years, Cox has invested more than $15 billion in its communities through infrastructure upgrades to deliver video, phone and high-speed Internet and home security and automation service to homes and businesses in the company's service area. Additionally, the company gives tens of millions of dollars annually in cash and in-kind contributions to support the communities in which it operates.

Consumers can learn more and sign-up for G1GABLAST service at www.cox.com/giglife.

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and home security and automation services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves approximately 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and new media advertising. Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For eight years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity nine times, including the last eight years. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.

SOURCE Cox Communications