Items tagged with Google-Fiber
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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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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There’s a rumor that Google may jump into the wireless provider game, which would be huge news except for the fact that Google wouldn’t be launching a fifth competing wireless network; it would simply function as an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator), reselling one of the big four’s services. The rumor comes from The Information (behind a paywall), and according to the site’s sources, Google may partner with Verizon to be an MVNO and launch wireless services in areas that have Google Fiber. Verizon Coverage Map MVNOs are terrific for the industry, and services like Republic Wireless and FreedomPop are doing a great job disrupting pricing and service structures. But...
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Most of the country has been gazing jealously at the Google Fiber rollouts in three lucky locales, but as many as 34 cities in 9 metro areas will be joining the fun relatively soon. “Now that we’ve learned a lot from our Google Fiber projects in Kansas City, Austin and Provo, we want to help build more ultra-fast networks. So we’ve invited cities in nine metro areas around the U.S.—34 cities altogether—to work with us to explore what it would take to bring them Google Fiber,” wrote Milo Medin, VP of Google Access Services. The official updates about which cities will be getting Google Fiber are coming by the end of the year, but the 9 metro areas on the table...
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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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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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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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You’d think that if you lived in Mountain View, home of Google, you’d have killer Internet access. And if you were living there several years ago you’d be right, as the search giant installed free WiFi all over the city in 2006. It was no doubt a delightful perk, at least until last year when the citywide WiFi reportedly suddenly began flaking out. "The city has received many complaints in recent months regarding the performance and reliability of the free Google Wi-Fi system in Mountain View, particularly at our library," Kimberly Thomas, assistant to the city manager in Mountain View, told IT World. City Hall’s WiFi is apparently also down, as are other spots around...
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Google is shaking up the ISP field in a big way with its Google Fiber service, and some of the fruit it has shaken loose pertains to AT&T launching a competing service in Austin, which Google has slated as one of the cities to get its gigabit Internet and TV service soon. AT&T is launching a 100% fiber network that promises gigabit speeds under its U-Verse brand (with GigaPower) along with high-end TV services that include HD-ready whole-home DVR (for up to 8 TVs), which is a step toward competing directly with Google’s Internet-and-TV package. AT&T is looking to beat Google to the punch, though; the service provider says that it will launch its U-Verse with GigaPower option...
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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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There’s no denying that in today’s world, data is king, and the Internet is his queen. (Or perhaps vice versa.) In the U.S., there’s been much talk about gigabit (1Gbps) Internet speeds for the masses thanks in large part to the efforts of Google and its Google Fiber projects, but the EU--where average Internet speeds are around 19.7Mbps--has its sights set on a much higher goal. The EU and Japan are collaborating on six research projects, that, among other goals, would ostensibly result in the build out of 100Gbps networks. Other challenges the projects will address include cyber security, network capacity, storage, high-density data traffic, and energy efficiency. European...
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Whether or not Google launched its Google Fiber Internet service as a legitimate business venture or as a massive trolling measure to shake up the broadband market (as some believe), its effect has been evident in how ISPs are competing. Leveraging a partnership with the city of Seattle and its fiber optic network, Gigabit Squared (or “GB2”, for short) is rolling out “ultra high speed fiber” gigabit Internet service to several Seattle neighborhoods in 2014. The cost will be $80 per month, and with that subscription GB2 will waive the $350 construction fee. That’s $10 more per month than Google’s gigabit Internet plan, but it’s significantly less than...
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Google Fiber really seems to be picking up steam. After somewhat unexpectedly lining up Austin, TX and Provo, UT, Google has gradually begun adding fiberhoods adjacent to and near the initial Google Fiber launch site in Kansas City, including Shawnee, Kansas and Grandview, Missouri. Google announced the next fiberhood, which will be in Gladstone, Missouri after the city council there voted to bring the gigabit Internet service to town. Google did not announce a timeline and as usual stated that it will take some time to plan out, engineer, and execute the rollout in a new location. This marks the second town in Missouri to be added to the Google Fiber queue; it will be interesting to see if Google...
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After starting out in Kansas City, Google has looked to grow its gigabit Google Fiber networks sometimes in leaps (Austin, TX and Provo, UT) and sometimes in steps (adding Kansas City, MO to Kansas City, KS). The latest announcement that Google is planning to light up Shawnee, KS is the latter. In a blog post, Google announced that the Shawnee City Council voted to bring Google Fiber to the smallish town, which is a western suburb of Kansas City. Google didn’t give a particularly compelling reason for adding Shawnee--other than a half-hearted bit about how the city has kept its citizens informed via a spiffed-up new website--but it’s not surprising that Google is gradually inching...
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Make all the jokes you want about Nebraska, but that state knows college football, beef, corn, and living the good life, and now its largest city (which is a rapidly growing area, by the way) will be one of the precious few metropolitan areas in the country with gigabit Internet. ISP CenturyLink announced today that it will be piloting a fiber network that will deliver gigabit speeds to some 48,000 homes and businesses on the west side of Omaha. CenturyLink already has a fiber network there, and the company will upgrade it to fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology to allow for the high Internet speed. Omaha, Nebraska skyline Those using the service will also have access to CenturyLink’s...
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The rollout of Google Fiber in a given location must feel like an impending tidal wave to the competition, which generally offers slower Internet speeds at higher prices (and often with frustrating customer service) than the search giant-come-ISP, and we’ve discussed before how this development has put the industry on notice. Time Warner Cable doesn’t plan to take Google Fiber’s disruption lying down, and its Director of Digital Communications, Jeff Simmermon, has taken to the corporate blog to let everyone know just what the company is doing to stay competitive. In Austin, the big news is: TWC is deploying free WiFi hotspots in the city. That’s it. Too little, too late...
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As expected, the Provo Municipal Council unanimously approved the measure regarding bringing Google to town to take over the city’s struggling iProvo fiber network. Google will retrofit the network for its Google Fiber service, which will make the relatively small town of Provo just the third locale with the gigabit Internet and TV service. The Salt Lake Tribune grabbed some more specific details, including confirming that Provo is selling the network to Google for the ceremonial price of one dollar. Google will offer its 5Mbps Internet service to Provo residents for free for 7 years and also ensure that all homes have access to the service. (Whether that means that Google will waive the...
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Earlier this week, Google suddenly and unexpectedly announced that it was planning to roll out Google Fiber service to Provo, Utah. The city has an existing (though older, and somewhat unfinished) fiber-optic network that Google can apparently just retrofit to suit Google Fiber, which is a much cheaper strategy than building a gigabit infrastructure from scratch. According to the AP, the fiber network initially cost the city $39 million, but it may sell it to Google for one dollar. The smallish city’s residents have been paying $5.35 per month per household in utility bills for about a decade to pay for the network, and the city will keep paying on its construction loan for the project...
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Google announced that the next lucky locale to get Google Fiber service will be Provo, Utah. Instead of starting from scratch and building the infrastructure, the company is in the process of purchasing iProvo, which is a pre-existing fiber-optic network, from the city of Provo. That network, however, is over a decade old, so Google will have to perform upgrades and also finish building out the network to reach all the homes along the network route. There’s one catch, though: the city council has to vote on it. “Our agreement with Provo isn’t approved yet—it’s pending a vote by the City Council scheduled for next Tuesday, April 23, and also is subject to satisfaction...
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A few years ago, when Google was determining which city to launch its pilot Google Fiber program, cities all over the country went all-out trying to persuade the search giant to bring all that fantastical bandwidth to their neck of the woods. And with good reason: Google Fiber offers gigabit Internet speeds and even TV service, all at prices that meet or beat the competition. In fact, the lowest tier of Google Fiber service (5Mbps down, 1Mbps up) is free once users pay a $300 construction fee. Eventually, Kansas City was the lucky locale chosen for the Google Fiber launch, and by all accounts things are going swimmingly, and Google is slowly but surely rolling out service to nearby areas, including...
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