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Print 14 comment(s) - last by overlandpark4m.. on Aug 7 at 9:53 PM
Google fiber network is blazing fast and cheap to access

Google began searching for communities around the country to be part of its superfast fiber-optic broadband network experiment. The winner of that search was Kansas City and the elaborate fiber-optic network is already operational. The superfast network has gears turning in the heads of many entrepreneurs in the area according to the Wall Street Journal. 
 
One such entrepreneur is 31-year-old Tim Sylvester, who founded a company called Integrated Roadways LLC. Sylvester's company makes a modular pavement system for high-traffic roadways. The product makes smart roadways by embedding sensors in the pavement that can capture information about the formation of cracks, potholes, and traffic jams.
 
Sylvester had previously believed that his company would have to develop their own fast network to bring this product to market. However, with Google rolling out the blazing fast fiber-optic broadband network in Kansas City, Sylvester now thinks that network will be perfect for his needs.
 
"There's been a lot of excitement" here, says Michael Gelphman, founder of Kansas City IT Professionals, a grassroots networking and peer-advisory group. "Google Fiber has gotten the whole city thinking about technology."
 
This sort of innovation and use of the fast fiber network is exactly what Google hoped to see. Google hopes that the fast network will spur innovations within the community ranging from telemedicine to cloud computing and more. While this fast network and the innovation it is spurring are good news for Kansas City, it's likely to be a very long time before other cities around the country can enjoy such speedy broadband connections.
 
Google is also trying to control costs by installing the service in neighborhoods where a certain percentage of residents are willing to pre-register with a $10 deposit. Those neighborhoods have to reach a specific threshold to be considered for the fiber service before September 9 or Google won't commit to bringing the service there.
 
So far, Google hasn't offered details on the cost to build the network project in Kansas City. Google is charging about $70 monthly to households that subscribe to the service, not counting TV. 

Source: WSJ


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By quiksilvr on 8/3/2012 11:55:47 AM , Rating: 5
That would be an incredible tool for apartment complexes. Imagine a building of 100 apartments each with a comfortable 10 Mbp/s connection down and up? This is the definitive step in the right direction and I hope this becomes widespread to all major cities in the country.

I would also like to mention that this is my 2000th comment on DailyTech. There have been ups and downs throughout the life of DailyTech, especially when it came to bias and fact checking. However, I feel that this has greatly improved over the years and I am proud to say that I will continue to visit this site for my primary gadget news.




By bupkus on 8/3/2012 12:14:09 PM , Rating: 2
At $70 it remains cost prohibitive. Comcast is $49.99/mo and still fast enough for Netflix and other things.

Maybe municipal wireless if ISPs can be beaten in Congress.


By Ringold on 8/3/2012 12:35:14 PM , Rating: 2
RoadRunner Lightening by BrightHouse costs about the same, I want to say actually $80 (I try not to think about it), and is 40M/5M. I'd be tickled pink to pay less for a vastly superior connection.

Municipal wireless I think can work for the lowest common denominator, like all government programs, but it'll never be able to compare to a good wired connection, nor be able to keep up technologically with a profit-driven competitive firm. The connection would never be as fast or as stable, and suffer even greater from utilization problems if too many neighbors want to hit up netflix at the same time off the same tower. (Anyone thats used Clearwire, anywhere, ever, can probably attest to that)

The real thing this nation needs isn't Soviet-style ISPs, but reform of how the final mile to peoples homes is governed. As it is, it's basically a monopoly most places for each wire; one for cable, one over the phone line, then a couple major satellite providers. Force open access, like in the energy pipeline industry, like in Europe, like in many other markets, and we'd see nice improvements.

It wouldn't do anything about the countries geographical issues; we're huge and will always have that working against us compared to Europe, but it works in European cities and no reason it wouldn't work here.


By AntiM on 8/3/2012 12:55:36 PM , Rating: 2
I would gladly pay $70/mo for a fiber connection. I could get rid of cable TV + my land line phone.


By cjohnson2136 on 8/3/2012 1:23:16 PM , Rating: 3
Based on what the OP is suggesting is that 100 people would share that 70 dollars. The apartment complex would own the connection and then renters would pay for their 10MB which would equate to 70 cents per apartment. It could end up being something as a marketing tactic for the landlord. FREE 10MB internet. If Google allowed that sort of connection it would allow for even more access to high speed internet.


By titanmiller on 8/3/2012 1:24:26 PM , Rating: 2
I think what he's saying is a single fiber comes to the apartment complex (probably for more than $70/month since it would be a commercial use) and then that 1gbps connection is spread to all of the residents either for free as a part of their rent or for a small fee.


By RjBass on 8/3/2012 1:29:18 PM , Rating: 2
What you haven't heard about yet is the low tier internet connection. Google will run the fiber connection to the home and give you speeds of 5mbps down and 1mbps up. All the customer has to pay is the installation fee of $300 which they can split up in to $25/month payments. The service then becomes free for 6 years guaranteed after that.


By EricMartello on 8/4/2012 1:50:50 AM , Rating: 2
Uhhh...did you just say $70 is "cost prohibitive"? Maybe if you're one of the street occupiers. For those of us who earn a living $70/mo is very reasonable for a 1 Gbps connection.

Google is doing this, allegedly, because they want to improve the average bandwidth of typical internet users. This means they can offer more services and compete with cable companies and broadcasters...it's also why they probably will frown up on people who try to share one connection. Their goal is to boost speed not get more people connected at lower rates.

I would expect that there is going to be some kind of ad tie-in with this service, as is the case with google. Most of their stuff is free, or low cost but you have their ads placed all over...and if they're the ones providing your internet they have full control. Not sure I'd want a company like google being my internet provider.


By rudy on 8/6/2012 4:16:20 PM , Rating: 2
I would gladly pay $70, in fact I already do, if you buy cable internet alone it will cost you $70 for their highest speeds. The only way cable cost $50 is if you buy a package which usually ends up costing at least 70 but usually closer to $100.


By overlandpark4me on 8/7/2012 9:53:03 PM , Rating: 2
Anyone that quotes a national price is deluding themselves. if there isn't competition in your neighborhood, guess what happens to your pricing. Google is going in only 4 miles away from me. I can only hope.


By someguy123 on 8/3/2012 6:03:27 PM , Rating: 2
I skeptical until google manages to actually expand this to an area greater than a small fraction of a small town.

For some reason nobody seems to remember that google also partnered with sonic a while ago with claims of bringing in gigabit. Sonic still doesn't offer gigabit to anyone but their testers and company lines for 999 dollars. This kansas test is also limited to a small area, and at their Fiber Rally they were running off a gigabit PON, sharing the gigabit over multiple computers.

I'd love to see real gigabit (or hell more fiber access) in the US, but google seems to like blowing a lot of hot air regarding internet access.


By RjBass on 8/4/2012 6:12:16 PM , Rating: 2
Im sorry, but while Kansas City is not a huge city like NY, Chicago or LA, it is certainly not a small town. KCMO alone has a population of almost half a million with a metro area population of over 2 million.

KCMO also covers a large expanse of space measuring 316 square miles.

Since Google fiber is rolling out to both KCMO and KCK, it will potentially cover a population of nearly 700,000 and potentially cover an area of near 500 square miles.

There is nothing small about those numbers.


By someguy123 on 8/4/2012 8:01:46 PM , Rating: 2
This is not available to all of Kansas City. It's google's designated neighborhoods, which are required to opt-in at a certain population before they can be considered for a rollout, meanwhile their own fiber demonstration ran on a shared network, which calls into question actual gigabit availability rather than a shared line like cable. It's larger than the sonic rollout, but you've got people comparing this thing to current services and saying it'll get everyone up to new standards. The companies getting hate on here are already serving those multi-million population cities, and in some cases with decent speeds like FIOS or xfinity.


seems too good to be true
By Ammohunt on 8/3/2012 3:06:14 PM , Rating: 2
You will get 1gb whilst on the google network once off there is no telling what you will get 256kb?




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