Google Fiber has the potential to transform dozens of industries and create entirely new ones.
What is Google Fiber?
Google Fiber is a fiber-optic network, which uses lasers to transmit pulses of light across bundled strands of glass as thin as a hair. The strands of glass are called fiber-optic cables. Compared with the metal wires of dial-up and broadband connections, they allow us to send and receive information at far greater speeds less expensively. Fiber-optic networks are 100 times faster than the average broadband connection in America and 20,000 times faster than the average dial-up connection.
What is ultra high speed broadband?
The average national broadband connection is about 4 megabits per second. Ultra high speed broadband delivers the Internet at up to 1,000 megabits per second. That’s 100 times faster than the typical broadband connection in America and 20,000 times faster than the typical dial-up connection. Download speeds, meanwhile, are between 10 and 100 times faster than the national average, while upload speeds are between 200 and 300 times faster.
Why do I need faster Internet?
Although all the potential of ultra high speed Internet has not been realized yet, it has the potential to transform dozens of industries and create entirely new ones. Internet speeds of up to one gigabit per second will vastly improve services offered to consumers – services such as video streaming, music downloading and cloud computing. Google Fiber will enable high-speed teleconferencing that allows many more people to work from home. It also has enormous implications for medicine and education. Doctors may be able to diagnose a patient through telemedicine, reducing costs and travel time. Teachers may be able to more easily share high-yield discussion across classrooms, ensuring a more consistent quality of education from school to school. And these are only a few of the many applications Google Fiber will enable.
What will I need to connect?
Residents can expect to be able to connect to the fiber optic network using their current wireless and Ethernet connections.
When will I be able to get Google Fiber in my home?
Google will begin offering its service in 2012. Advanced sign-ups begin at the end of 2011.
How much will it cost?
Google has not yet determined how much its service will cost, but expects to offer its connection at a competitive and affordable rate.
What is the smart grid and how will Google Fiber help?
The smart grid is an application currently being developed by Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (KCBPU) and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) to predict and intelligently respond to its users. It saves money and energy by instantly rerouting electricity where it’s needed. Both utility companies will be able to leverage Google Fiber with their smart grids for metering and potentially even distribution automation.