Kalyn Hove, Regional Senior Vice President, Comcast

Kalyn Hove, regional senior vice president at Comcast, sat down with Invest: to discuss Comcast’s expansion efforts throughout the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area and describe how the success of Comcast is intertwined with the prosperity of the communities it serves.

What is the current state of Comcast in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and what are key priorities for your team?

This is an exciting time to be at Comcast and given the current need for broadband growth and expansion, Comcast has stepped up to play a key role in the marketplace. We are expanding our network to many new cities within Minnesota and have plans for additional expansions moving forward. 

The recent boom in Internet consumption along with the long-range population forecast

by the Metropolitan Council, which shows the Twin Cities is expected to add approximately 65,000 residents over the next two decades, underscores the importance of connectivity and having a network that can seamlessly handle the increase in demand. Modern networks require ongoing investment and innovation to remain resilient and secure. We understand the need that’s out there, and we’re built to continue delivering a future-proof network to the residents and businesses of Minnesota.

What are some other recent initiatives undertaken by Comcast to enhance customer experience and satisfaction?

Our passion truly begins with our people and is cultivated through each customer interaction. We take pride in ensuring our teams are engaged and inspired in their work; if we have that, we will be serving our customers in a special way, imbued with understanding the value and importance of what we bring to the field. 

The benefits and performance our customers experience from their network often are only as good as the equipment inside their home. For example, our new XB10 modem will be Comcast’s fastest and most powerful device yet – with the unprecedented capacity to simultaneously connect up to 300 devices in the home.

The network’s security also sets Comcast apart. Anything that connects into our WiFi is automatically protected from connections to suspicious sites – it’s like having a personal cybersecurity team.

What specific technological advancements or innovations are utilized by Comcast to stay ahead of their competitors?

Over the last 10 years, Comcast has invested $80 billion into its network and infrastructure nationwide to futureproof solutions for consumers and support businesses of all sizes through our Comcast Business services. Our network starts with 300,000 miles of fiber—enough to circle the Earth 12 times. It’s this infrastructure that brings you all the Internet has to offer every day.

In addition to powering mission-critical organizations, like the U.S. Department of Defense and FEMA, Comcast’s network also serves more small businesses in America, including thousands here in the Twin Cities. 

Comcast’s investments provide features like WiFi PowerBoost, which automatically supercharges speeds for Xfinity Mobile and Comcast Business Mobile customers up to one gig whenever they connect to millions of WiFi hotspots across the country, including throughout the Twin Cities.

Our network is consistently performing and delivering the best experience in the country. Every 20 minutes, our network is testing more than 4,000 data points across tens of millions of devices to enhance customer experience. We can detect when there’s bandwidth available to be used more efficiently and have your modem automatically adjust to optimize your experience. In the past year alone, we’ve pushed more than 350,000 upgrades across our network to make sure people get the best service performance, including our recent speed increases for no additional cost.

Our network also has the ability to self-heal. Automation and AI driven tools resolve 60% of network issues before the customer even notices. We’re ready for anything. We’ve developed technology that can identify a cut fiber within seconds and tell our technicians precisely where the problem is and exactly how to fix it, so customers get back online as fast as possible. 

What role does customer feedback play in Comcast’s strategies and services?

We are constantly surveying our customers for feedback, not only through interactions, which provide an accurate sense of how much we cared for the customers in their moment of need, but also by engaging with them for overall product feedback, how our products are serving them and what more they need or want to see from us. 

As the need for connectivity continues to grow, Comcast will be at the forefront, delivering an unparalleled experience with our next-generation network. Whether it’s video calling relatives across the country or streaming the big game, the Twin Cities relies on Comcast to connect customers to the moments that matter most.