Comcast Leverages AI to Restore Service Faster When Commercial Power Outages Impact Customers

Comcast Brings Xfinity Internet Customers Back Online More Efficiently During Severe Weather Using AI Innovation to Drive Network Restoration Efforts

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With hurricane season underway, Comcast has deployed a groundbreaking technology developed to help restore Internet service faster during commercial power outages. First trialed during the 2024 hurricane season and now deployed nationwide across its footprint, this technology enables Comcast to boost storm recovery effectiveness by fifty percent in impacted regions, using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to identify mass outages and their cause faster, and bring customers back online with greater speed and efficiency.

“Power is essential to connectivity, but commercial power grids are increasingly challenged by surging demand and more frequent extreme weather,” said Elad Nafshi, Chief Network Officer, Connectivity and Platforms, Comcast. “We know how crucial it is for customers to stay connected, especially during severe weather, so we’re leveraging our real-time network performance insight and proprietary AI to help ensure our network remains operational during commercial power outages, getting our customers back online faster when it matters most.”

Network reliability is crucial for customers, which is why Comcast has been working to virtualize its network, making it nimbler and more resilient. Embedded AI already enables the organization to resolve 77 percent of network software issues before customers are impacted. However, external factors, like commercial power outages, remain a challenge to connectivity.

Most power outages are resolved in less than two hours and impact fewer than 200 customer locations at a time. Comcast’s network is already built to stay online for up to four hours without commercial power to withstand these outages. Now, Comcast is taking outage detection and resolution to the next level, using AI deep inside the network to determine what homes and businesses do or do not have power and deploy restoration crews more efficiently.

Additionally, Comcast offers Xfinity customers a Pro WiFi Extender with 4G LTE backup as part of its Xfinity Pro service with the option to purchase a backup battery. In the instance of a power outage, the home network will automatically switch to a cellular for these customers, enabling their home to remain online for up to four hours.

Here’s How It Works

When there is any outage on Comcast’s network, whether from a fiber cut, a power outage, or an in-home issue, an alarm is automatically triggered on Comcast’s monitoring system that a customer’s modem is offline. An outage hitting a large area creates many individual alarms. Comcast uses a proprietary AI algorithm to understand commonalities among all the individual alarms, like location and time, and groups them into a single alert.

By automatically analyzing the device and network data within that group of customers, it then determines the cause, allowing Comcast to jump into action by notifying customers and providing them with recommendations like contacting their local power provider. The tool also streamlines the dispatch of technicians with the specific tools they will need to fix the issue as quickly as possible.

AI in Action during Storms

Comcast has deployed the new AI tool across its entire network today and it has already provided valuable insight to network teams that managed through a challenging 2024 hurricane season, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. It provided invaluable insight into the impacted areas of Comcast’s network, helping to identify and prioritize the efforts of the more than 700 emergency crew members working around the clock to restore connectivity throughout the impacted areas of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Indiana.

The technology will continue to get better as it learns from each outage and the geographies where Comcast’s network operates. It is one of a growing list of network-focused AI innovations that Comcast has developed to get customers back online faster, including fiber issue detection AI algorithms that automatically report the precise geolocation of disruptions in real-time, so repair technicians can be rapidly and accurately deployed.

“We’re building the smartest and most resilient network in the country by deploying machine learning and artificial intelligence from data centers right into our customers’ homes and creating a cloud-based virtual network,” continued Nafshi. “Storm recovery is just one application for the incredible AI innovation we’re continuously developing and deploying to deliver next-generation connectivity to customers, no matter the circumstances.”

About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations & Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.