Where is It?
As of May 2013, two cities offer Google Fiber and two other cities are being networked:
1. Kansas City, Missouri (Already Active, See Map)
2. Kansas City, Kansas (Already Active, See Map)
3. Provo, Utah (Quarter 4 of 2013)
4. Austin, Texas (Quarter 2 of 2014)
What is It?
Free Internet? What will Google think of next? If you’re even slightly tied to the Austin area, you’ve seen the billboards and heard the news. By spring 2014 our automobile traffic will be even slower; however, Austin’s Internet connections will be among the fastest in the country!
Google’s launch of a one (1) Gigabit connection will start at $70/month with a $0.00 Construction Fee; or you can have it all (Internet & TV) for $120.00 per month with a $0.00 Construction Fee. And yes, I did say free–Google’s 5 Mbps connection will be free for up to seven years with a $300.00 Construction Fee – which includes a network box (modem) and setup. The alternative is paying $25.00 per month for 12 months.
Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas are already active with folks browsing at 1Gb as you read! Provo, Utah’s Fiber offering may come as early as Quarter Four of this year due to the availability of existing infrastructure that was built over 10 years ago. With some upgrades this year, Google Fiber will be able to offer 5 Mbps internet for free for a $30.00 activation fee, with the 1 Gigabit offering to come at a later time.
Speed in Prospective
The numbers break down as such – 1 (one) Gigabit = 1,000Mps; Google Fiber is offering this as their Download and Upload speeds. Now let’s compare this to the average residential connections today:
Average DSL/Cable Connection Download: 7-20 Mbps
Google Fiber: 50 to 142X faster download
Average DSL/Cable Connection Upload: 1-3Mps
Google Fiber: 333 to 1,000X faster upload
It’s going to be hard to imagine an Austinite not looking in to Google Fiber. Naturally, the competitors are quick to respond to the news. Time Warner, Austin’s primary consumer Internet provider announced their plan for free WiFi hot spots all around the city of Austin. This service will only be available to Time Warner clients, however will eventually be accessible anywhere in the country Time Warner offers their Internet.
