Kabel Deutschland, a German cable TV and Internet provider, said it has successfully tested an Internet connection exceeding a download speed of 1000 Mbps or 1 Gbps.

According to the company, the connection peaked at 1170 mbps, which is, according to our knowledge, the first time a public cable Internet connection has broken the gigabit barrier. The test was supported by Cisco’s cable modem termination systems (CMTSs) and run via DOCSIS 3.0 standard. To hit the download speed, Kabel Deutschland upgraded its 630 MHz network to a bandwidth of 862 MHz. The provider indicated that it required about 200 MHz of the spectrum to reach the record download speed.

The company, which currently offers up to 100 Mbps to selected customers in Hamburg and generally 32 Mbps download speeds throughout Germany, described the gigabit Internet demonstration as a test and mentioned that it might take several years until Internet content may require such speeds. It did not explain how close the technology is to real world use, but we know that on CMTS usually provides dozens or hundreds of consumers with Internet connectivity. Actual gigabit connectivity may not be exactly affordable these days.

Kabel Deutschland currently offers 32 Mbps Internet for about $41 per month (without phone), while Deutsche Telekom sells 50 Mbps connectivity for about $89 per month (including phone). Comcast provides 50 Mbps in the U.S. for $100 per month, while Verizon offers the same speed for $140 per month.

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