Google announced earlier this week that they would be talking more about Google Fiber today. If you recall, Google Fiber was Google’s plan to launch Fiber Internet in Kansas City. The promised speeds will be around 1Gbps which is way faster than anything else on the market in the U.S.
At a live streamed conference in Kansas City, Google took time to explain the main mission behind Google Fiber. The company announced that Google Fiber will be asynchronous download/upload with speeds up to 1Gbps for both.
Google Fiber will be 100 times faster than the average Internet speed in the U.S. The company said that it’s unacceptable that the U.S. is behind every other developed nation in terms of Internet speeds and price.
To prove the speeds of Google Fiber, the company ran a speed test that compared Google Fiber to today’s average speed. Google Fiber proved to have download speeds of over 1Gbps and upload speeds of 700Mbps. They downloaded a 500MB file in less than 10 seconds on Google Fiber whereas the average speed wasn’t even at one percent complete in that time.
In even better news, Google announced that there will be no data caps and no overage charges on their fiber network. It’s a far cry from the data caps and broadband limits that other ISPs put on you. Kansas City residents will also get a TB of data in Google Drive included in their Internet package.
Surprisingly, Google also announced that Google Fiber will offer a television service. It’s called Google Fiber TV and it provides all channels in the highest definition possible. It also allows users to download up to 500 hours of HD television content and record up to eight channels at once. Google Fiber TV can be controlled by either a bluetooth remote or an app on a tablet or smartphone. The Google Fiber TV app will also stream DVR recordings straight to tablets or smartphones. People can also watch different TV shows on different TVs at the same time.
Google showed off the Network Box that will connect to a Fiber jack in the wall. Features Wi-Fi and easy to understand settings management. They also showed off the DVR that will be able to record eight shows at once. With two terabytes of storage, it can store up to 500 hours of HD content. The TV box has a built in Wi-Fi access point to stream content to all the other TVs in the house.
In even greater news, everybody who signs up for Fiber will get a free Nexus 7 tablet. Google feels that it’s the best TV remote control. It will be included with all Google TV packages.
Google will install Google Fiber into your home for $300. The direct Fiber connection costs them a lot of money and requires some construction on their part. To offset that cost, Google said that a direct Fiber connection will increase the value of your house by $5,000.
As for packages, the full Google TV package which includes the Fiber Internet, every channel, the Nexus 7 tablet and more will cost you $120 a month. Google will also waive the construction fee for those who install and sign a two-year contract today.
Just for Internet, it will cost you $70 a month. They will also waive the construction fee for those who sign a one-year contract.
If you pay a $300 construction fee, Google will give you free Internet at today’s average speeds of 5Mbps down/1Mbps up. The Internet will remain free for up to seven years. You can upgrade to Fiber at any time after that.
Google will be installing Fiber in September after a rally that will gauge interest to see which neighborhoods who want Fiber the most. For those neighborhoods who get Fiber, all public buildings in the vicinity including schools and libraries will get free Fiber Internet.
All in all, this is an amazing value for both the TV and Internet package. The only thing I ask is when Google will bring this outside Kansas City. I can stand to have Internet this amazing in my neck of the woods.