WebProNews » Fiber optic http://www.webpronews.com Breaking News in Tech, Search, Social, & Business Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:38:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Google Begins Fiber Internet Construction In Kansas City http://www.webpronews.com/google-fiber-kansas-city-2012-02 http://www.webpronews.com/google-fiber-kansas-city-2012-02#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:52:19 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=95856 After months of waiting, Google is now beginning construction of their super fast Internet service in Kansas City.

Announced today on the Google Fiber Blog, Kevin Lo said that they will be taking thousands of cables and stretching them across Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. The new glass fiber cables will create a new online infrastructure that will carry data at 100 times faster speeds than what most Americans have access to right now.

They’re going to be focusing on building the backbone of the fiber network for now, but they’ll start connecting houses once the infrastructure is up and running.

The Kansas City Star is reporting that Google took their time due to issues over where Google would attach the fiber optic cables to. The original agreement said that Google would be able to hang its wires for free in the upper part of utility poles that usually host electrical lines.

The problem came with the fact that using the higher up portions of electrical lines brought higher fees from construction and hiring more advanced engineers that charge more for their services. A source from Google told the Kansas City Star that Google was going to opt out of the offer and put their wires at the same level as other Internet providers in the community.

Google has about 100 people working in Kansas City at the moment with more people coordinating the efforts back at their HQ in Mountain View, California.

Google hasn’t said how much their service will cost, but promises it will be competitive with what local ISPs are charging.

Are any of our readers in Kansas City? If so, have you seen Google employees out and about today?

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/google-fiber-kansas-city-2012-02/feed 0 Hong Kong’s Broadband Is How Fast? http://www.webpronews.com/hong-kongs-broadband-is-how-fast-2007-09 http://www.webpronews.com/hong-kongs-broadband-is-how-fast-2007-09#comments Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:09:49 +0000 WebProNews Staff http://www.webpronews.com/?p=40696 In case you're still convinced there's a true open market in broadband space and the handful of companies running it are sufficient competition for each other, consider this: in Hong Kong, you can get a fiber-to-the-home connection 20 times faster than Verizon's FiOS connection for about the same price. ]]> In case you’re still convinced there’s a true open market in broadband space and the handful of companies running it are sufficient competition for each other, consider this: in Hong Kong, you can get a fiber-to-the-home connection 20 times faster than Verizon’s FiOS connection for about the same price.

Hong Kong's Broadband Is How Fast?
Hong Kong’s Broadband Is How Fast?

Gizmodo was quick to point out that Verizon will deliver 5 Mbps to customers for $40 per month, and up to 30 Mbps for $180 per month.

But in Hong Kong, according to a City Telecom press release, 5 Mbps isn’t even an option. Or even 10, because they’ve just discontinued their 10 Mbps offering, making the 25 Mbps the entry (basic) package.

How much is that? The release doesn’t say, but if you’d like to try the 100 Mbps service (boy would we!), it’ll about $48.50. Not fast enough? (Huh? Couldn’t fathom that kind of speed.) CTEL can upgrade you to 200 Mbps for $88.

Still too slow?

I know, your mind’s melting, right?

How about 1 Gbps for $215?

So, how do you feel about paying $180 per month for that blistering 30 Mbps now? Yeah, kinda figured. Maybe we should ask for our $200 billion back, eh? 

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