More than 40 million Comcast (News - Alert) customers now have ability to jack up their residential broadband service to lightning-fast speeds – if they are willing to pay for it. The service provider on Thursday launched its highly-anticipated Extreme 105 Internet speed tier, which offers download speed of 105 Mbps and upload speeds of 10 Mbps.

With connection speeds that are 60 times faster than a T-1 line, the new service can download a 4GB high-definition movie in only five minutes and a ten-song music album in just 3 seconds. In contrast, a standard 6 Mbps Internet connection will take 90 minutes to download an HD movie and 50 seconds to bring up a full collection of songs.

The introductory price for the new Internet speed tier is $105 per month for 12 months, if bundled as part of the company's Triple Play (News - Alert) package, which includes phone and cable TV service. Comcast has yet to divulge the price point for service if it is purchased as a standalone offering. Extreme 105 comes with a wireless home networking gateway, which turns a residence into its own Wi-Fi hot spot, as well as a number of online protection features at no additional charge.

With such a high price tag (News - Alert) and lightning-fast speeds, Extreme 105 is not designed for your average Web surfer. The service is best fit for consumers that stream videos, play online video games and take advantage of Web-enabled televisions.

“This speed tier takes (our Internet services) to a whole new level,” Cathy Avgiris (News - Alert), senior vice president and general manager of communications and data services at Comcast, told USA Today. “With it, we’re powering the digital home of the future.”

Unfortunately, the service is not available to all Comcast customers. Extreme 105 is only currently being offered to consumers in major metropolitan areas, including San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and the majority of Boston.

Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell