Google Fiber made a big splash upon launch, with its promise of Gigabit
speeds at the cost of regular broadband. Google announced that it will
be launching its fiber-based Internet service in Kansas City, USA. The
service will let users download unlimited Internet data at the speed of
1000 megabits per second for $70 per month.
The Internet search
giant had received 3,900 registrations for Google Fiber as on Sunday,
with users having another 41-days to pre-order. The installations will
begin in September.
Here's all you need to know about Google Fiber.
1)
A free Nexus tabletEvery
customer who signs up for Google Fiber with TV will get a free Google
Nexus tablet to use as a remote. As of now, it is not clear whether it
will be the 8GB model of Nexus 7 or the 16GB one that will be provided
but nevertheless it is a great deal. There is also speculation that with
the subscription of Google's Internet one may be able to get a
ChromeBook for a discounted price of $299. The TV + Internet plan costs
$120 per month, against $70 per month for Internet only.
2)
No capsApart
from the speed, what is exciting about Google Fiber is that it is
offering unlimited data uploading and downloading. Yes, that's right.
There are no star marks or caps that the company plans to put on the
amount of data you transfer.
3)
DVR BoxGoogle Fiber
TV also comes along with a DVR box that lets users record as many as
eight channels simultaneously. There is also an on-board memory of 2TB
to help store all data that one may want to save.
4)
Installation cost and neighbourhood criteria
Google
is charging $300 as an installation cost for this service and everyone
who wants to pre-register will have to pay $10 to make a request. One
would need at least 50 neighbours to make a request for Google to
install this service in their area.
5)
No Broadband, no worriesFor
areas in Kansas, which still do not have broadband access (about 25
percent of the area), Google is offering 5Mbps download speeds and 1Mpbs
upload speeds for the next seven years on payment of $300.
6)
1 Gbps either wayGoogle
Fiber offers 1Gbps download and upload speeds. In a world where upload
speeds are capped at rather ridiculous levels, that must be music to the
ears of end users. Torrent-ers rejoice!
7)
Customer serviceThe
Internet Service Provider (ISP) business is a new vertical for Google
and given that it has little expertise in a consumer facing business, it
will be interesting to see what it's strategy will be for this
vertical. It will be a challenge even for Google to establish a robust
customer service mechanism.
8)
Home users onlyThe
plans shared so far are clearly targeted at the home user, so what about
the business users? Will Google continue to ignore them or will it have
special plans for businesses in the future, remains to be seen.
9)
Only for KansasThough
Google has promised that it will be looking at rolling out this service
to other states soon, but for now it is available only for the people
living in Kansas City, Missouri. Google may prefer to wait and see how
things turn out, so it may be a long
10)
India? Forget about it!In
India, where most are struggling to get even a steady 1Mbps line, a
service like Google Fiber will be really welcome. But given the state of
infrastructure in our country and the amount of investment that setting
something like Google Fiber will entail, we wouldn't advise you to hold
your breath.
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