Google Fiber shows speeds 100 times faster than regular a cable Internet,has Free broadband plan too

[Vehl]

(CBS/AP) Google unveiled its long-awaited, ultra-fast Internet service in Kansas City Thursday for an affordable price of $70 per month.

The service is intended as a showcase for what's technically possible. Bypassing the local cable and phone companies, Google has spent months and an unknown amount of money pulling its own optical fiber through the two-state Kansas City region.

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(an Internet speed test shows that Google Fiber clocks in at over 900 megabits per second versus an average broadband connection, which gets about 5 megabits per second in this demonstration.)

more here
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57480836-501465/google-fiber-shows-speeds-100-times-faster-than-regular-a-cable-internet/

Google just kicked its Google Fiber efforts into overdrive. The company's Kansas City effort is getting a full launch and now includes Google Fiber TV -- a "real" TV service with recognizable channels and its own, fully searchable interface that mixes DVR results with Netflix and YouTube. As many as 500 shows can be stored in full 1080p HD, and several TVs within the home can tune in at the same time.. Not surprisingly, there's also a major mobile component taking advantage of that 1Gbps fiber link, as users will have the option of browsing, sharing and eventually watching live TV directly from tablet apps. The company is also promising an ever-evolving service that includes Google+ video hangouts. For hardware, Google has its own dedicated Network Box with a four-port gigabit Ethernet router and 802.11n WiFi, a TV Box with live viewing and a WiFi access point as well as a Storage Box DVR with 2TB of data and the ability to record eight shows at once. Your remote control? A free, bundled Nexus 7 tablet, naturally.

The overall service will come with 1TB of Google Drive space, although it's expensive to get started: there's a $300 "construction fee" (currently being waived) to wire a home for the fiber optics. Three packages will be on offer, starting with a Gigabit + TV package that includes the essentials, all major channels and "hundreds" of fiber channels (plus on-demand content) for $120 a month. Skip traditional TV and it costs $70 a month -- and if you're a local resident willing to pony up the construction free, you can get 5Mbps internet access for free for "at least" seven years. Key institutions are getting the full gigabit access for free, as well. Only small slices of Kansas City in both Missouri and Kansas state should have access at first, but Google is conducting a six-week "rally" where the most people paying a $10 pre-registration fee dictate where Google Fiber goes next. Now if only other cities would go the same route.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/26/google-fiber-gets-formal-launch-adds-google-fiber-tv/#disqus_thread

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I love this. The ISP's are now charging insane prices for internet/cable tv.


In the bay area Comcast charges about 70$ for 25Mb/s internet(with like 1MB/s upload). For cable tv +internet the price goes up above 100 (around 130).Other ISP's Cable providers do the same, even though storage and internet service costs have dropped exponentially over the years.

I cant wait for Google Fiber to spread to other states/cities. I would guess that they would provide this first to areas with denser populations, like East Coast cities, and the bigger cities on the west coast before moving out to the rural areas.

And the best option? Free internet of 5mb/s speed for 7 years(after construction cost of 300) at least. Believe me...5Mb/s is more than enough for most people!

Additional benefits i can see

Free 1Tb cloud storage for those to sign up for tv
Free Set top box with 2TB storage at home.
Free Nexus 7 Tablet for them, which doubles as wireless remote.
Free DVR capability with the ability to record 8 shows at once

And full 1080p streaming video (not the 720p streaming others provide)


The only winner I see in this is the consumer. If this service comes to my city I'm switching for sure (for example, businesses that need high speed internet have to pay 299$ per month for Comcast for its 300mb/s speeds...Google fiber would provide 3 times the speed for 1/4rth the cost). ISP's have been pretty much ripping the consumers off with their insane prices for internet/Cable tv.

Remember when Gmail first came out? till then Yahoo and Hotmail were giving only pretty low storage...and soon they all raised the storage allocations to match. Unless there is some challenger who is going to drastically change the game, most companies will not make any changes....right now we are all cash cows for the ISP's and phone carriers.

This is a welcome shakeup to the ISP and Cable industry which was long overdue.


Related links
https://fiber.google.com/about/

PS: pardon me if I sound over-enthusiastic...I'm addicted to tech

PPS: Schools and libraries will get Google Fiber connection Free of charge(No 300$ Fiber construction fee either)

[cbdo2007]

1. Everyone in my office signing up today....wish I lived closer to the city and could take part also.

5 mb is plenty fast enough for me and my family! Could this be the cable/dsl killer??? Hope so!!!

[Vehl]

2. "You are not in Kansas anymore" is gonna take on a whole new meaning!

For those who await impatiently for this service to roll out for other cities!.


I definitely think that this is the cable killer we have been waiting for.

And yep, 5Mb/s is more than enough! And I just did some quick math...300 construction fee(waived for Kansas city residents) divided by free internet for 7 years comes around to 3.5$ per month! Which is an awesome price

[benld74]

3. HEY Google, east side of the state wants it TOO!!!!!!!

[SoCalDem]

4. California too...

We are not used to being "last"..

[Vehl]

6. I second this :P

I think Google's tag line for their commercial for Fiber when they start offering this service out of Kansas city will be
"We are not (only) in Kansas anymore"

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[DevonRex]

7. Hell no. They're going west baby. West. Dammit.

But St Louis does desperately need it I admit.

[angstlessk]

5. Google may become the 'Wal Mart' of the internet...

remember when Wal Mart was all 'Made in America' when the founder was alive..well...it foundered when he died

[Sgent]

14. Walmart never

practiced "Made in America" -- even when Sam Walton was alive.

Their policy was "Made in America" as long as it costs the same and they are willing to cut costs 2-5% a year. If the chinese / mexican / whatever product was 0.5% cheaper, they ditched their US supplier.

I knew people who dealt with their buyers, it was a marketing gimmick.

[JI7]

8. This means we wouldn't have to buy through time warner, verizon etc ?

[Posteritatis]

10. They'll fight it tooth and nail

The major ISPs basically go to war with anyone who offers free internet access.

[Vehl]

11. yep

Google will be the ISP (internet service provider) but as Posteritatis pointed out...Comcast/Time Warner/ And other Big Cable companies are gonna fight this by lobbying their pet politicians in Congress.

There is absolutely no justification for the insane prices they charge now.

[reformist2]

9. Bye, bye Comcast! :) :) :)

[Shankapotomus]

12. awesome!

unbelievable. free internet connection. this makes life so much easier for many people. this is truly a humanitarian development. thanks to google for making it happen!

[uponit7771]

13. I'm more upset that they're not offering it everywhere right now...

...come on google give us the high speed inter-tubes dammit!!

[cbdo2007]

15. Even the people in KC signing up for it now won't have it until next summer....

the rollout just takes a long time I guess and once they see how well it works here, they'll release it elsewhere I'm sure.

[EnviroBat]

16. I wish I could sign up for this RIGHT NOW!

and kick Insight to the curb once and for all...

[HillWilliam]

17. Makes me a little sad, really

I live in rural NC where we just got (really, truly shitty) DSL about 3 years ago. It's off more than it's on. It's also nearly $60/month and aside from satellite, it's the only game going. (I tried satellite. It's even worse and more expensive.)

I'll probably never see gigabit Internet home service in my lifetime. As it stands, I doubt I'll even see something like reliable Internet service at all.

[n2doc]

18. Bring it to Savannah

But undoubtedly the idiots around here won't allow it. We are stuck between the choice of crappy att DSL and crappy Comcast cable. Some free market.

[ChromeFoundry]

19. Fantastic

I hope Google's pilot goes very well so that this gets rolled out to a lot more cities in the very near future.
I bet ATT, Comcast, Verizon, COX HSI and the rest of the bloodsuckers are getting nervous...the same nervousness consumers get when their bundled discount package is about to expire.