Since Google started wiring cities like Kansas, Austin, and Provo move 100 times faster than normal via Google Fiber, conversations about jumping on the wireless Autobahn have been held nationwide. Los Angeles has an ambitious plan. Unwilling to wait for a vendor to come and bring the fiber to all 3.5 million residents and businesses, they’ve decided to give it a try and issue an RFP (request for proposals); the vote determining its release will take place soon, reports Art Technica. The costs for the project are estimated between $3 billion to $5 billion; the plan is to have the vendor bear the costs associated with the project, and if in case they’re not willing to cover them, the City Council may consider transferring a general fund to reimburse the respective departments. The new fiber network translates into speeds of 2Mbps to 5Mbps offered for free to everyone, and up to a gigabit for paid subscribers. Through the new network the Wi-Fi hotspots in public areas would be powered as well. Currently Google Fiber is limited to residential connections. Currently, the LA broadband ranges between 5Mbps to 50Mbps, provided by AT&T, Time Warner, Verizon, Cox, and Charter. There are gigabit speeds for commercial use, but at higher prices than in other communities. Having a powerful and solid fiber network at decent pricing could be a boost for the economy, as it might attract new entrepreneurs and retain the existing businesses from moving to greener pastures. The plan of the Los Angeles Information Technology Agency is to have the network open in order to avoid monopoly. Furthermore, the RFP would favor companies that have the possibility to offer more than just fiber Internet. Candidates who can provide cellular service and data center hosting will have a head start, in which case AT&T and Verizon are valid bidders. Without the cellular component companies like Time Warner, Cox, and Charter could be applicants. Should Google want a place in the project, they’d have to change their business model, to include the sector for businesses, and to respond to the RFP, something they never done in their history. The project, although supported by Mayor Eric Garcetti, will take long to be completed – the city will accept bids for three months, followed by six-to nine-month review and negotiation process before the job can get...
Fiber for Provo
Google buys local network
In early 2000, the city of Provo, Utah decided that the city and its residents would have a lot to gain from access to high speed connectivity. In 2004, it began the construction of iProvo, the Fiber to Home service, and the project was completed within the following two years. Homes and businesses, municipal buildings and schools, power stations and traffic signals, were now connected throughout the city. Since then, the service changed owners several times due to financial reasons, until last week when the city council voted unanimously to reclaim ownership and find a buyer for the “troubled iProvo network.” About $39 million in bond debt was issued to build it, and the network has not yet been run in a financially sustainable way. Google saw an opportunity. According to Provo’s press release and Google’s blog post, Google has now purchased the fiber-optic network. Kansas City and Austin will likely have a third sister city with access to Google Fiber if the City Council votes in favor of the agreement this week. If the agreement is approved this week, the network will be upgraded to meet the current standards. When the work is complete, they will offer their “Free Internet service (5 Mbps speeds) to every home along the existing Provo network, for a $30 activation fee and no monthly charge for at least seven years.” On top of that, the giant promises to offer “Google Fiber Gigabit Internet—up to 100x faster Internet than today’s average broadband speeds—and the option for Google Fiber TV service with hundreds of your favorite channels. We’d also provide free Gigabit Internet service to 25 local public institutions like schools, hospitals and libraries”, says Kevin Lo, GM of Google Fiber. Provo’s inhabitants responded well to the previous fiber service,...
Google Fiber Goes Live
Game changer: One Gbps
The nation’s fastest residential Internet connections are now online in Kansas City. The Missouri/Kansas metropolis is already gaining fame and attention as the first market for Google Fiber, a super-powered service installed in selected Kansas City neighborhoods that offers online access at speeds 100 times faster than what most of us are used to. Internet that fast has the power to change how we use the Internet. Take a minute and ask yourself: What could you do with a connection speed of a gigabit per second? Imagine a connection so fast that you could download a 2GB file in a few seconds, rather than a few hours. For families, competing usage habits today might turn into fights and require house rules about who can use the Internet, and for what purpose, when everyone is online at the same time. With a Google Fiber, you would no longer have to choose between gaming, streaming movies or television, talking on Skype, and downloading or uploading music, photos or other media. Anything that you have ever dreamed of doing online could be a reality – without having to choose between activities – not to mention the ability to access downloads and information at near-warp speeds. Of course, this begs the age-old question of whether there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. In other words, could there be any downside to having essentially unlimited bandwidth? Would it change your Internet usage in a positive and hyper-productive way, or could it be the tipping point at which your online activity totally takes over your life? How about at the office? Is slow connectivity hampering your corporate productivity? Faster Internet is not just a lifestyle shift, but a potential economic game changer, too. It’s already positioning Kansas City as a potential incubator for new online startups. Rather than wrangle with the expensive, low-availability real estate market in San Jose or San Francisco, some techpreneurs are making tracks for the Midwest, instead. They’re lured by promises of things like a free place to stay, in addition to the Google Fiber project, reasonably priced real estate and more. Google hasn’t announced plans for additional cities to receive Google Fiber, which is being offered at $70 a month. High definition TV service can be packaged with their Internet offering for another $50. So for now, we’ll all just continue to be jealous of the lucky folks in KC. But while you’re daydreaming about what you’d do with that 100 times faster Internet, go ahead and tell us – What would you do with a connection speed of a gigabit per...
Google Fiber
TV + Internet, not cereal
While it is true that Google Fiber contains no vitamin D or riboflavin and in no way contributes to a healthy diet, it does promise some fun prizes in the bottom of the box: 1000mB/second = 100x faster that average Internet speeds Hundreds of channels, plus NetFlix, Hulu, YouTube all in one place Optimized HD clarity Record 8 programs simultaneously on 8TB storage space Here is Google’s hipster-tisement for the service, which will have you singing “Just What I Needed” for the rest of the day: Pricing is divided into three tiers. Broadband-only service is free (see below); 1Gbps service is $70/month; 1Gbps + television is offered at $120/month. A further $300 “construction fee” for the Internet and television services is waived if you sign a contract (broadband-only customers have to pay). The television service comes with a Nexus 7 tablet that also acts as a remote control. And now for the bad news: you can’t have Google Fiber… yet. Bringing in fiber requires a hefty infrastructure upgrade so Google is rolling things out slowly and only to communities that express the highest level of interest. Kansas City is ground zero for the nation’s first “fiberhoods” and pre-registration ending Sept. 9 will determine which areas in the city are first to receive the new service. As for everyone else, well, we could be a while away but once the trial run in KC gets underway in earnest, you can expect pre-registration to open in additional cities. The big idea here is less about the technical specs – the average Internet user doesn’t need and might not even notice 100x faster service – and more about Google’s bid to dominate modern media. Google has pacted with Rovi to license its media technology to power its...
