Recently, mobile development and search provider Google announced its new project, Google Fiber. This anticipated service offers 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) internet access to selected residents in Kansas City. This is about 100 times faster than most residential broadband connections. Google has noticed that while our computing power and storage capacity are both increasing exponentially, however our internet speeds are lagging behind rather dramatically. In this age of advancement, the cost of leaving internet in the dust is lagging behind or being left out.
First off, for the moment you must be in Kansas City to be eligible for this service. For a $300 installation feed, Google’s cable guys will come install the service in your home. This includes connecting the fiber to your house, installing new equipment, and running fiber lines throughout the home as well. With just this fee Google will offer a free 5mbps internet connection for 7 years. If you want more than that you can obviously use the offered services from Google fiber.
For $70 a month the $300 construction fee is waived and you get access to a Gigabit of connectivity, which adds up to 125 megabytes and is 1 eighth of a Gigabyte. There is no data cap and you get access to the Network Box as well as a 1 Terabyte Google Drive, all with a 1 year contract.
The $120 a month deal offers quite a bit more. You not only get the Gigabit of internet, you also get Google TV included. You will get a full channel TV lineup, a Nexus 7 Tablet (TV Remote), a TV box, a Storage box, a Network box, and a 1 Terabyte Google Drive. This particular deal has a 2 year contract and no data caps.
While people in Kansas City are committing now, they will likely not receive their service for some time. The issue stems from the complications of fiber optics and its installation. It is anticipated that they will finish installing the orders by the end of 2013. They are using an interesting method to control the location and order of installation that has be dubbed “fiberhoods”.
Mobile development competitor and search provider Google has split the city into “fiberhoods” of around 250-1,500 households a piece. Users in these fiberhoods are asked to pre-register for the service to show interest. The density of $10 pre-registrations will enable Google to rank the fiberhoods to decide which of them get the service first. For every fiberhood, there is a commitment threshold somewhere between 5%-25% based on the size of the fiberhood. Once reached, that fiberhood gets put onto the list and will move up in order as the percentage increases. Despite this organized approach, the process will still be a slow one.
This is all just a pilot for the real move. The world of internet lovers, geeks and all, are waiting to see when they can receive the chance at this wondrous opportunity. The fact is that Internet providers should be giving us faster cheaper internet; however they are pushing for slower, tiered, and more expensive. Google is counteracting this plan with Google Fiber and if this goes according to plan we could all have a chance to enjoy lightning fast internet.
I believe that what Google is attempting to tackle with Google Fiber is a needed service. However the rate at which we can bring these upgrades into households is not a quick one. This can pose a few issues for the mobile development company as consumers and the like become impatient or unhappy with their product. The nature of fiber optics contributes greatly to the speed as well as the price point they are offering. It is important to note that for a low fee and a very aggressive monthly rate we are able to gain a very superior service. Technology is advancing and this aspect of it is the backbone to many other products, functions and software. We need to get it up to par so it doesn’t inhibit our progress.
Mobile development is a booming market and will be around for a long time. Internet however will have to adapt as we move forward. Google Fiber is a step in the right direction, which is cheap, powerful, fast internet with which to further our technological advancement. It is not something that will change quickly nor will it be easy, but it is necessary. Google does many things, wrong or right; however, this time they are pushing the in the right direction and are using the powerful innovative collection of minds to further not just themselves, but us too. We certainly appreciate it.
Stephen Barnum is a professional blogger and writer at MoroInteractive. He is passionate about technology and learning. His hope is to share what he has learned with his readers. For inquiries email him at sbarnum@morointeractive.com.
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