Google has unveiled its own ultra-high-speed internet service – offering lightning-fast speeds of one gigabit per second in Kansas, Missouri.
The service uses optical fibre to deliver speeds far in excess of traditional web services – offering speeds faster than almost anywhere else on Earth.
The Web search leader unveiled its ultra-high speed Google Fiber service in Kansas City, Missouri, and could start installations in September, executives said. Google hopes to roll out the service to other cities later.
‘Access is the next frontier that needs to be opened,’ Google Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette said. ‘We're going to do it profitably. That is our plan.’
‘We are at a crossroad,’ he added, noting that Internet speeds had leveled out for broadband since around 2000. ‘We at Google we believe there is no need to wait.’
Google Fiber's ultra high-speed connections and television offerings are aimed at surpassing those of current providers, allowing users to search live channels, Netflix, YouTube, recorded shows and tens of thousands of hours of on-demand programming. However, no phone service is available.
‘The phone is really a 1940s thing. Why have a landline? It's sitting there, you use it once every two weeks,’ Pichette said.
Google said it also intends to roll out product packages for businesses, but would not provide details.
Google Fiber includes more than 100 networks and costs $120 a month for a package of TV, 1 gigabit per second Internet speeds and 1 terabyte of cloud storage.
The package includes popular networks owned by major media companies such as Comcast Corp's NBC Universal, Discovery Communications and Viacom Inc. Premium movie networks are available from Liberty Media's Starz for an extra fee.
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Google Fiber includes such features as the ability to record eight TV shows at a time and store up to 500 hours of high definition programming. Users can choose to use a tablet or smartphone as a voice-activated remote control.
Google is offering its Nexus 7 tablet with the Google TV app to early users of the service.
Google said it is setting up a 6-week ‘rally’ for consumers to vote on where the first fiber communities, or ‘fiberhoods,’ should be installed in the Kansas City area.
Consumers must pay $10 to register their household online for service. About 50 ‘neighbors’ will need to register in order for their area to be eligible for installation services, according to Google executives.
Whether or not consumers will embrace the new offerings remains to be seen. But officials said they are confident Kansas City will be a showcase of success for a larger rollout.
‘Google is a very different company,’ said Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Access. ‘And this is not a short-term project.’
‘Google is a very different company,’ said Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Access. ‘And this is not a short-term project.’
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