Items tagged with gigabit
Netgear is rolling out a new WiFi router that aims directly at users who have lots of devices in their homes. The router is called the Nighthawk AX8, and the device is an 8-stream (4x4+4x4) AX6000 WiFi router featuring a quad-core 1.8GHz processor inside. Netgear boasts that the router supports 160MHz Gigabit WiFi for mobile devices and has 2Gbps wired connectivity for local devices, with six Gigabit ports on the router. Dual USB 3.0 ports allow connectivity of storage drives for network storage inside the home or office. Netgear rolls in support for OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access), which is a method of spreading signals over a given spectrum band that helps to ensure each...
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Deploying fiber cabling throughout cities across the United States isn’t cheap, especially when we’re talking about the “last mile” of fiber that goes directly to homes and businesses. Alphabet arguably got the ball rolling with its Google Fiber rollouts across the country, followed by Comcast and AT&T countering with their own (sometimes faster) fiber services. AT&T this week announced that it is looking to speed up its rollout of gigabit internet throughout the country at a lower cost. The telecommunications company is doing so using what it calls AirGig, which will deliver multi-gigabit speeds wirelessly using existing power lines. AT&T is using low-cost plastic antennas that...
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Congratulations people of Chicago, Comcast just expanded the availability of its 1-gigabit broadband Internet service to your area. That sounds like reason for celebration, right? It should be except that compared to same service in Atlanta and Nashville, it costs twice as much for the speedy Internet connection. In Atlanta and Georgia, Comcast offered new customers willing to commit to three years of service a rate of $70 per month. Those who wanted no part of a long-term contract could pay $140 per month, which is what Comcast is charging for its 1Gbps service in Chicago. Unfortunately, Comcast isn't making the same discounted offer to Chicago residents, though they're effectively paying double....
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Let the confetti fly, Comcast has served up a 1Gbps Internet connection to a single home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Okay, maybe that isn't cause for balloons and streamers, though it's a notable achievement because the connection is the first to use a DOCSIS 3.1 modem on a customer-facing network. The significant of using a DOCSIS 3.1 modem in a customer's home is that it paves the way for 1Gbps Internet on Comcast's existing network infrastructure. It's not like competing 1Gbps (and higher) broadband roll outs that require extensive network upgrades -- all Comcast needed in this case was a new modem, a software upgrade, and a "few good engineers." "The beauty of DOCSIS 3.1 is that it is...
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Congratulations to residents of Chicago, who now have access to AT&T's blazing fast Gigapower broadband Internet service. Like Google's Fiber service, U-verse with AT&T Gigapower offers up to 1-gigabit per second downloads and uploads, which translates into being able to download 25 songs in less than a second. If you need more perspective, imagine downloading a high definition movie in less than 36 seconds. Of course, those are examples based on theoretical maximums, and actual speeds depend on a variety of factors, including how fast a source can serve up a download. Still, 1Gbps is Internet service is pretty awesome. "Everyone wants access to the fastest and strongest Internet networks,...
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When the cat's away, the mouse will play, or charge more for his services, as the case may be. Or to be more specific, AT&T is launching its fiber Internet service in parts of Cupertino, California, home of Apple, but is charging more for 1Gbps speeds than it does in other areas where U-verse with GigaPower is offered. In Kansas City and Austin, AT&T's U-verse with GigaPower costs $70 per month for gigabit service when opting in to its "Internet Preferences" program, which gives the company permission to view your web traffic. In exchange, AT&T matches Google's competing fiber Internet pricing in both areas. Google Fiber isn't offered in Cupertino, and so AT&T is charging $110...
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At present, Google and AT&T are the two companies making the most noise about gigabit Internet service for consumers. It's high time other ISPs jump on board as well, don't you think? If you agree, you'll be happy to know that Comcast and Liberty Global (a major ISP in Europe) are two other Internet companies with gigabit service on the roadmap. Broadcom has reportedly begun sampling its first DOCSIS 3.1 chip (BCM93390), which enables gigabit Internet service, as well as makes it possible for consumers to shovel 2Gb/s of wireless data in their homes. In turn, Comcast and Liberty Global have both vowed to support the technology that Broadcom's new chip brings to the table. Neither one promised...
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Telecom giant AT&T today announced the launch of its U-verse with GigaPower service in several parts of North Carolina, including Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem. The roll out of its all-fiber GigaPower network is the result of an agreement with the North Carolina Next Generation Network (NCNGN) initiative, which is comprised of six municipalities, four leading universities, and local business leaders all with vested interested in developing high-speed Internet networks across the state. That's what they get with the newly implemented GigaPower network, the fastest Internet available from AT&T with speeds of up to 1Gbps. With that kind of speed, users can download...
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AT&T this week confirmed plans to expand its GigaPower all-fiber network to Cupertino, California. The speedy service will offer consumers and small businesses symmetrical upload and download broadband speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, along with the option to subscribe to AT&T's U-verse TV service, which supports watching and recording five simultaneous HD streams and comes with a 1TB capacity DVR. Wondering just how fast 1Gbps Internet service is? At full throttle, that level of broadband means you can download 25 songs in a single second, your favorite TV show in less than 3 seconds, or an entire high definition online movie in as little as 36 seconds. Source: AT&T "Cupertino...
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The evolution to gigabit Internet speeds continues with the news that Time Warner Cable will be trying to bring what it calls the “Gigasphere” to L.A. in 2016. The city is soliciting requests for information (RFIs) for gigabit-level Internet service, and TWC is in the mix. “Over the last four years, Time Warner Cable has invested more than $1.5 billion to enhance our infrastructure and services in Los Angeles,” said executive VP and chief strategy Peter Stern in a press release. “This significant investment coupled with new ‘Gigasphere’ technology positions us to be able to introduce gigabit-per-second speeds in 2016.” Hollwood Boulevard in L.A....
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Portland, Oregon is one of the nearly three dozen additional lucky locales slated for a Google Fiber rollout, and the city is now one step closer to being wired for the search giant’s gigabit Internet service. Portland’s commission has approved a franchise agreement with Google, which was a big hurdle to overcome before the service could come to the area. The agreement includes a provision that Google will provide free outdoor WiFi networks to certain areas of the city as well as Internet service to numerous nonprofits in exchange for waiving the 3% PEG fee (which covers public access, educational, and government programming) that Portland charges Comcast. Portland, Oregon (Credit:...
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Is the FCC trolling ISPs (on our behalf)? The agency is considering raising the standard minimum speed for what is considered “high-speed Internet”, which would potentially force ISPs to work faster to roll out better service to more areas. Currently, broadband Internet speed is defined as 4Mbps, but according to an anonymous FCC official that spoke to the Washington Post, the FCC might bump that number up to 10Mbps or even 25Mbps. 4Mbps is nothing; you can’t even stream Netflix in HD at that speed, and forget about having a second user gobbling up bandwidth. The new definitions would also set a higher limit on upload speeds, which would jump to 2.9Mbps from the current 1Mbps....
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Google’s push for gigabit Internet service has, directly or indirectly, created pressure on ISPs to explore the same, and Cox is the latest company to dip its toe in the gigabit waters and plans to get the service out to its first residential customers as early as Q4 this year. According to the Wall Street Journal, Cox president Pat Esser said that the company was investing hundreds of millions of dollars in gigabit service implementation, and the first locales to get the blazing fast pipe upgrades will be Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Omaha. This follows Esser’s comments earlier this month. Omaha, Nebraska skyline Esser did not reveal pricing, but he told the WSJ that it would be competitive;...
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Today, Qualcomm is announcing full support for a new wireless transmission method that could significantly boost performance on crowded networks. The new standard, MU-MIMO (Multiple User - Multiple Input and Multiple Output) has a clunky name -- but could make a significant difference to home network speeds and make gigabit WiFi a practical reality. MU-MIMO is part of the 802.11ac Release 2 standard, so this isn't just a custom, Qualcomm-only feature -- though we don't know exactly what other implementations will look like, or the degree of cross-compatibility we'll see in market. In order to explain what makes MIMO special, let's first talk about the current system, dubbed SU (Single User)...
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The advent of gigabit Internet continues its slow-but-steady growth with the news that Bright House Networks is working with the Metro Development Group to bring gigabit Internet to new communities in the Tampa Bay, Florida area. The groups are building new housing developments and will construct them with fiber, pre-wired for gigabit Internet speeds. The homes themselves will be wired, but the neighborhood clubhouses, playgrounds, and even nature trails will have high speed WiFi. Tampa, Florida “Bright House Networks is pleased to join Metro Development Group in this revolutionary project,” said Nomi Bergman, President of Bright House Networks in a statement. “Bright House...
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Even as the Google Fiber gigabit Internet service pilot programs are rolling along, Google already has its sights set on loftier goals--namely, Internet speeds of 10 gigabits per second. In remarks made at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference, Google CFO Patrick Pichette said that Google is already working on bringing the next next-generation of Internet speeds to life even as its just beginning to push the currently available speed envelope with Google Fiber. That’s not surprising, but what is remarkable is what he sees as a timeline for 10-gigabit Internet. “Why wouldn't we make it available in three years? That's what we're working on. There's no need to wait,"...
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In Amazing Fantasy #15, an epiphany occurs to Peter Parker after his Uncle Ben is murdered. He learns that "with great power there must also come great responsibility," an altered version of which is later attributed to Ben himself. Regardless of its origin or where you may have first heard the quote, the sentiment applies to all facets of life, not just that of super heroes, and in a way it's being applied by Mozilla in Chattanooga and Kansas City. The browser maker just launched the Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund, a project in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NS) and US Ignite that will support local innovators in the two above mentioned locales as they build real-life open...
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Google missed its mark of the end of 2013, but the company got close: Residents of the second city to get access to Google Fiber--Provo, Utah--can now sign up for the service. Google says the gigabit Internet service will come online in waves, starting next month in the North Park neighborhood (er, fiberhood that is) and work down to the Foothills by the end of the year. Update: Google reached out to us and pointed out that they did actually have the first Google Fiber residents in Provo hooked up and using the service by the end of the year. Thus, Google did not "miss its mark" as mentioned above. Residents can get Google Fiber service in one of three tiers: a gigabit Internet connection for...
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There’s really no other way to say it: BT and Alcatel-Lucent claim that they’ve reached Internet speeds of 1.4Tbps over an existing fiber connection. To be clear, that terabits, not gigabits; we’ve covered a good amount of news related to the latter lately because almost nobody has access to those kinds of speeds as it is. So, yes, terabit Internet speeds. The companies conducted this field trial in the UK, using a fiber link between the BT Tower in London and the company’s Adastral Park research facility in Suffolk. The underlying technology is a flexible grid infrastructure called “Flexgrid” that ups the density of each transmission channel and varies the...
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While Google rolls out its Google Fiber gigabit Internet service slowly and surely in Kansas City, Provo (UT), and Austin (TX), other companies such as CenturyLink, C-Spire, and AT&T have pledged to provide similar services. At least one city isn’t waiting for an ISP to take the reigns on a gigabit Internet rollout, though. The city of Los Angeles is issuing an RFP, or request for proposals, for a citywide gigabit Internet service. The service will provide Internet access to “every residence, every business, and every government entity within the city limits of Los Angeles”, or so said L.A. Information Technology Agency GM Steve Reneker to Ars Technica. Hollwood Boulevard...
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While the gigabit Internet revolution (well, evolution) continues for the likes of Google, AT&T, and a handful of smaller ISPs, CenturyLink won’t be left behind. The company is nearly ready to launch its gigabit Internet service in Omaha, NE, and it just announced that it will be rolling out service to Las Vegas, too. "CenturyLink is pleased to announce that Las Vegas will be the next city to receive ultra-fast broadband speeds up to 1 Gbps," said Matt Beal, CenturyLink chief technology officer, in a press release. "We know our customers will embrace this new technology that will allow them to simultaneously use multiple devices in their homes and businesses without the burden of bandwidth...
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Months after Google surprisingly selected Provo, Utah as one of the first cities to get the Google Fiber treatment, and weeks after the city officially closed the deal with Google, the search giant-come-ISP said in a blog post that service is coming by the end of the year. Before that happens, though, Google needs to upgrade Provo’s existing fiber network--the city’s expensive fiber-optic “iProvo” network was in need of rescue--and also work with managers of larger properties to get everything hooked up. “We’re spending a lot of time talking with property managers and owners of large apartment building and condominiums. Planning for and installing Google Fiber...
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