Google Fiber

[CodeRedR51]

Anyone seen this? I didn't put it in the Technology section as it might get more views here.

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/po...iber-100x-faster-internet-plus-free-internet/

Google has just announced Google Fiber, a broadband service and interactive television provider that will offer internet speeds up to 100x faster than average broadband. Google promises adopters will enjoy download speeds of 1 GBps...

 

[Bopop4]

So you need to have access to a broadband style internet?
When they actually develop a wireless internet with that kind of speed then I'll be interested. No point getting worked up over a fancy new internet when you live in the country.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Edit: That article changed since I linked to it a few minutes ago. Weird.

 

[Lizard]

I don't really get how Google intends to make money on option 3.

 

[Wiegert]

And a Brit, I can only dream of such download/upload speeds. I'm not even sure South Korea can match that right now.

I don't really get how Google intends to make money on option 3.

It will only available for a limited time anyway, and it's not like they'll make a damaging loss because of it either. I guess they're just trying to get more people to join up for the long haul.

 

[Slash]

I'm lucky to get 2mbps download on a good day

 

[nick09]

G4TV is a source you do not want to reference! Click here and then click the "Free" internet option. It tells you there. G4TV does not know the specs.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Yeah I noticed they messed up the speeds on the free service.

I just referenced them because that's the first place I saw it.

Edit: I will say I don't like the requirements needed to get it in your area, having to get a certain amount of people, etc.

 

[Moglet]

I really can't understand why anyone would need a gigabit connection unless you're running a company that transfers huge amounts of data. I'm on a 30mb fibre optic connection that is soon to be boosted to 60mb and so far I've not come across anything it can't do in a decent time frame. Even patching games doesn't take long as long as the servers are fairly quiet.

 

[sesselpupser]

I really can't understand why anyone would need a gigabit connection unless you're running a company that transfers huge amounts of data. I'm on a 30mb fibre optic connection that is soon to be boosted to 60mb and so far I've not come across anything it can't do in a decent time frame. Even patching games doesn't take long as long as the servers are fairly quiet.

This sounds awfully familiar... I remember being told I'd 'never need a hard drive bigger than 5GB' once. Gigabit connections may not be necessary now but in a few years when you want to stream 4K video with 7.1 audio or something similarly ridiculous you'll be glad it's being tried out now!

 

[Moglet]

My connection can stream 1080i and 5.1 with ease and it's not even the quickest connection Virgin do, and they are constantly upgrading their speeds for free too so I still don't see the need for anything quicker for a long time yet. Maybe in 10+ years!

 

[Omnis]

Just wait until we have to stream 4K video.

 

[niky]

GigaBit would allow you to stream your life, instantly, effortlessly. Not quite brain downloading speeds yet, though...

 

[Omnis]

So jelly of Kansas City right now. They get burnt ends, good beer, and now gigabit internet.

 

[nick09]

My connection can stream 1080i and 5.1 with ease and it's not even the quickest connection Virgin do, and they are constantly upgrading their speeds for free too so I still don't see the need for anything quicker for a long time yet. Maybe in 10+ years!

I wish you could tell Time Warner(My ISP) that life story. I've been on the same 10Mbit down and 1Mbit up speed for 5 years and I don't even have the choice to change my ISP because there is no-one better than Time Warner in my neighborhood. I would gladly take a fiber line with 1Gbit!

 

[phillgt2002]

I'm so glad I live in Missouri.

 

[toymdngn]

I wish you could tell Time Warner(My ISP) that life story. I've been on the same 10Mbit down and 1Mbit up speed for 5 years and I don't even have the choice to change my ISP because there is no-one better than Time Warner in my neighborhood. I would gladly take a fiber line with 1Gbit!

Unless I wanted to go with Hughsnet (which I would never do, their connections are terrible) the only choice I have is Comcast cable internet. $50/month for 6mb/s internet is a ripoff.

 

[Omnis]

The best part really is that they're offering $25/month for the same speed I'm getting now. That's half price, and that's just for one year. After that it's free and I can upgrade to gigabit any time I want. Awesome. I hope Google kicks all these jerky telecom giants in the nuts.

 

[Patrick]

The best part really is that they're offering $25/month for the same speed I'm getting now. That's half price, and that's just for one year. After that it's free and I can upgrade to gigabit any time I want. Awesome. I hope Google kicks all these jerky telecom giants in the nuts.

That package is for a limited time, though. I would order that package in a heartbeat if it was in my area.

 

[Omnis]

That package is for a limited time, though. I would order that package in a heartbeat if it was in my area.

It's guaranteed for 7 years. That's $3.50 a month.

 

[nick09]

That package is for a limited time, though. I would order that package in a heartbeat if it was in my area.

Free for at least 7 years is a really, really good figure. Now I'll have to get a lot of people to sign up for this in my city!

 

[Bopop4]

$50/month for 6mb/s internet is a ripoff.

That's pretty damn good.
We get 1 meg for $50.

 

[Moglet]

Just wait until we have to stream 4K video.

It's going to be a hell of a long time yet, there aren't many displays capable of showing that resolution available yet and it'll take a while before any major networks feel the need to upgrade to 4k for the benefit of them. Think about how long the time gap was between people using 1080p and services appearing that could stream that kind of resolution easily. It'll take a while over here, although I can't speak much for the US.

 

[BobK]

I really can't understand why anyone would need a gigabit connection unless you're running a company that transfers huge amounts of data. I'm on a 30mb fibre optic connection that is soon to be boosted to 60mb and so far I've not come across anything it can't do in a decent time frame. Even patching games doesn't take long as long as the servers are fairly quiet.

It's called "progress". There was a time when 1200 baud (=.0012 Mbits/sec [yes I know baud isn't directly comparable to bits/sec but bear with me]) was considered perfectly adequate. With the rise in cloud computing etc I'm sure that in a couple years 30 Mbit/sec will feel kinda sluggish.

 

[Omnis]

Moglet, are you really complaining about 100x speed at 1x price? Or 1x speed at .1x price? Come on man. All glory to the Google Toad!

 

[Moglet]

It's called "progress". There was a time when 1200 baud (=.0012 Mbits/sec [yes I know baud isn't directly comparable to bits/sec but bear with me]) was considered perfectly adequate. With the rise in cloud computing etc I'm sure that in a couple years 30 Mbit/sec will feel kinda sluggish.

I'm sure it will which is why ISPs (at least over here) are constantly increasing their speeds to keep up. Mine is due to double very soon, and at no extra cost.

Moglet, are you really complaining about 100x speed at 1x price? Or 1x speed at .1x price? Come on man. All glory to the Google Toad!

Their 'free' internet is a brilliant idea, I can see a lot of people taking that offer up. As for the other connections, I wasn't complaining; simply wondering who the hell would really use that sort of connection right now. It seems overkill, at least for the next few years. They must be planning ahead by a fair old while!

 

[phillgt2002]

Torrents are going to go through the roof. Imagine having a host with that connection or seeders.

 

[Grayfox]

Torrents are going to go through the roof. Imagine having a host with that connection or seeders.

They may block all torrrents legal or not.
They may look at your packet data as well.
We are talking about google who are known for their privacy issues.

 

[Omnis]

That's my only concern at the time being lol. Especially with a network as small as one city.

It's always great when you get connected to someone with fiber in the swarm. I remember d/ling the mises torrent from a single peer at 1MB/s. Imagine hundreds of those.

 

[Seismica]

The 1Gb/s connection is great (Not 1GB/s - I'm pretty sure it's the former), but it is a case of diminishing returns. The download speed you can achieve depends on the server, so your speed could increase from 30Mb/s to 300Mb/s and you wouldn't notice it for most applications (At this time). Of course, increasing that upper limit can only be a good thing.

I've just moved into a new flat and i'm paying less for my 60Mb/s Virgin Media fibre connection than my Mum is paying for her AOL 2Mb/s DSL connection (When you factor in that I get cable TV in the same package). Virgin Media have a huge competitive advantage in the UK because Sky, BT and others have been really slow to adopt fibre optics. Virgin was my only realistic choice for decent speed internet - and they knew it, but they still offered a decent price for it.

1Gb/s connections have been trialled in Jersey for a while:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/jersey/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9308000/9308604.stm