09 Jun Is The End Near For Fiber To The Home?
In a move that would surely be disruptive to the broadband industry should it be commercially implemented, Google told shareholders at their annual meeting on Wednesday that the company is focusing on technology that has the capacity to beam gigabit-speed internet into homes and business.
As we all know, Google Fiber already offers internet at these speeds to a handful of cities throughout the US, but has yet to find a way to roll out this service on a national scale. This technology would certainly change that, as it would greatly reduce the time and cost to implement service to new areas. Gone would be the need for laying individual fiber-optic cables throughout the “last mile” (i.e. from the termination point to the individual home or business).
For Google, this would mean being able to finally roll out gigabit service on a national scale, and being able to do it fast and cheap. It also means they can reach traditionally under-served markets in lower-density areas.
For the consumer, this can only mean good things. Increased competition will undoubtedly bring the cost of service down, especially when it’s from hands of Google – a company frustrated by the high cost and low speeds of current broadband providers. Consumers in rural areas might also finally have access to reliable high speed internet at a reasonable cost.
For current Broadband providers, well, it means they better get ready. They simply must start looking into this technology as well. For them, it’s innovate, or risk getting left behind.
Photo: Flickr user Carlos Pacheco