Google to Offer Ultrafast (1Gbps) Consumer Broadband in the US

In an effort to offer improved access to the Internet, Google plans to create fast, cheap and ubiquitous fiber-to-the-home Internet broadband networks with one-gigabit-per-second (1Gbps) speed. The broadband connections will be as much as 100 times faster than most cable and DSL services.

Google is seeking applications from US local governments interested in participating in the project. It plans to collect responses until March 26, and will announce which communities will get the service later this year. The company said it hopes to offer the service to at least 50,000 people and as many as 500,000.

Google’s announcement is expected to spark competition and innovation in this area. Google’s primary goal is really to expand broadband and to make it faster. Faster networks enable the use of far more data-intensive applications online. Google consistently acknowledges that its core business of online search and services benefits from improved access to the Internet, whether over personal computers or mobile devices.

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Google said it will sell access to customers directly “at a competitive price” and team with telecommunications companies that want to package services with its fiber network.

Verizon has already offers fiber-to-the-home Internet service to more than 3.4 million customers in 16 US states, including parts of California, although it’s slower than Google’s proposed service, with download speeds of only up to 50 Mbps. [source]

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