More Gigabits!
While we all crave fast internet connections up to or over 1 Gbps most of us (99.9%) just can’t get them. It’s not necessarily that the speed isn’t possible it’s more to do with greedy Internet Service Providers. Yes, there are some infrastructure limitations but that’s not really the issue. Consider this recent article that quotes a Time Warner exec which states, “users don’t want gigabit Internet speeds.” I don’t know what users he is talking to but the demand is there.
Meanwhile, Sony-run Japanese ISP So-net Entertainment this week pushed the residential needle to 2 Gbps in Japan. The speedy service is named “Nuro,” and will cost 4,980 yen ($51) per month, providing Japanese customers with 2 Gbps downstream and 1 Gbps upstream. Yes, you read that right, $51 a month! The service requires users sign a two-year contract and pay a 52,500 yen ($539) installation fee — which the company says they’re waiving if users order the service online. The Nuro service is being offered primarily to smaller apartment complexes in Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Tokyo, Kanagawa and Saitama.
For a heated debate on this subject please check the BroadBand Reports Forum: http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/Sony-Offers-2-Gbps-Broadband-in-JapanFor-51-123896
So what does America internet look like?
Delaware has the fastest connection speed of any state in the US at 10.2Mbps, with New Hampshire and Vermont rounding out the top three. Globally, the US has risen from 13th to 12th place with an average of 6.7Mbps, but South Korea continues to rank first with a speed of 15.6Mbps, despite a drop of 1.5 percent since the end of last year. But if Google Fiber and its 1,000Mbps connection spread, the US may shoot up this list.
Vermont Telephone Company’s gigabit internet service is live, half the price of Google Fiber
Remember how Google Fiber‘s recent announcement for planned service in Austin by 2014 spurred immediate competition from AT&T? It’s safe to say telcos in other areas have taken note about the gigabit speeds, not to mention the $70 montly pricing. According to the Wall Street Journal, Vermont Telephone Company is now offering gigabit service to some of its customers for the crazy-low price of $35 bucks a month. To keep things in perspective, WSJ notes that roughly 600 folks are subscribed (out of VTel’s total base of about 17.5K) and that the company is essentially going to be analyzing whether the current pricing will remain for the long-term. With Google Fiber to continuing to expand, it’s certainly promising to see how superspeed internet is trickling across the US — and how easy it’s been looking on the wallet.