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New technology is being rapidly deployed that will make today’s broadband feel as slow as a dial-up connection.

Comcast just reported that by early 2010 it plans to offer consumers in most of its markets Internet service so fast they will be able to download a high-definition movie in minutes. The nation’s second-largest Internet service provider — and biggest cable TV operator — will offer speeds over 100 megabits per second in 20% of its markets by the end of 2008.

Much like broadband enabled downloads of music, video and work files that weren’t practical over dial-up, the next generation of Internet connections will allow for vivid, lifelike video — and new kinds of interactive games. This will enable richer and more powerful entertainment experiences for consumers.

The most promising route to superfast home broadband is to extend the fiber-optic lines that already form the Internet’s backbone all the way to homes. Existing fiber-to-the-home, or FTTH, connections are already 10 times faster than vanilla broadband provided over phone or cable lines. With relatively easy upgrades, the speeds could be a hundred times faster.

In the U.S., the buildout of FTTH is underway, but it’s highly concentrated in the 17-state service area of Verizon Communications, which is the only major U.S. phone company that is replacing its copper lines with fiber. Its FiOS service accounts for more than 1.8 million of the 2.9 million U.S. homes that are connected to fiber.

FTTH is also offered by some small phone companies, cooperatives and municipalities. The other major phone companies, like AT&T and Qwest Communications International, are laying FTTH in “greenfield” developments, but aren’t pulling fiber to existing homes. Some cable companies are doing the same.

Ultra high speed Internet to the home allows rich media entertainment providers like iMemories the ability to continue to offer the richest and most immersive online experiences available. At iMemories, our studio is wired with ultra high speed Internet via our fibre optic network, and we see the next level for consumers. It’s fantastic, and will eventually be the mainsteam way to connect the Web to the home.