News Google Fiber's $250 a month ultra-fast 20 Gbps internet tier hits early access, includes Wi-Fi 7 router

[SunMaster]

I have had fiber since 1998. First installation was 100Mb, which I had up to 2007. Then I got 250 up to 2015, then 500 until I downgraded back to 250. I have no clue what I need more than 250 for.

500 is nice to have if you actually need to download something large while at the same time the other end is able to send you 60MB or more per second. You will have sexonds to waste on other things in yoir life if you do.

A 1 GB download might be done in 20 sexonds instead of 40. I doesn't really change your life, does it?

Latency is the same, whether it's 100, 250 or 500.

 

[PEnns]

News like this will always make me envious of Americans. Google needs to expand into Canada asap. Then again, the CRTC despises any prospect of competition, so any attempt to breach the status quo would get snuffed out.

My 1000/100 is still decent by todays standards.

Not so fast. This kind of speed (and even anything faster than 500 Mbps) is available mostly in some metropolitan areas. Essentially, maybe 5 % of Americans have the luxury of speedy internet. At exorbitant prices too!

You have no idea how many million Americans "enjoy" the DSL speed, (measured in Kbps!!) as their only option.

 

[bit_user]

You have no idea how many million Americans "enjoy" the DSL speed, (measured in Kbps!!) as their only option.

On a related note, quite a few states (in the USA) have laws that ban cities from offering municipal internet service. As you can probably guess, those laws typically got there through the concerted efforts of telco industry lobbyists. I've heard they're one of - if not the largest - lobbies, according how much they spend.

 

[SCP2000]

Not so fast. This kind of speed (and even anything faster than 500 Mbps) is available mostly in some metropolitan areas. Essentially, maybe 5 % of Americans have the luxury of speedy internet. At exorbitant prices too!

You have no idea how many million Americans "enjoy" the DSL speed, (measured in Kbps!!) as their only option.

Generally speaking, you're not wrong. In my mind, as I've already reiterated in this thread, I will be referring to California 99% of the time, because without Silicon Valley, much of America would be crippled. California's population is roughly equal to that of Canada. Have you ever looked at California's GDP in comparison to the other G7 countries, by chance?

The prevailing theme surrounding the topic will always be access, or lack thereof, at least for those on the coastlines, and Starlink still needs time to mature, then rural residents will have access to more affordable options in the future. That said, obtaining fiber will never be a difficult task if one is in the heart of Silicon Valley.

 

[colossusrage]

News like this will always make me envious of Americans. Google needs to expand into Canada asap. Then again, the CRTC despises any prospect of competition, so any attempt to breach the status quo would get snuffed out.

My 1000/100 is still decent by todays standards.

Meh, I live near a city that has Google Fiber, but even I can't get access to it. It's really limited to certain areas in certain cities.

 

[SCP2000]

Meh, I live near a city that has Google Fiber, but even I can't get access to it. It's really limited to certain areas in certain cities.

I know the feeling; it's the same issue all over much of the developed world tbf. The bureaucratic nightmare of replacing ageing infrastructure is a major issue because it's not only expensive, but also very time-consuming.

Romania is a textbook example. They completely bypassed it because they never had an antiquated system to begin with, and they offer some of the cheapest/fastest broadband rates in the world.

 

[PEnns]

California's population is roughly equal to that of Canada.Have you ever looked at California's GDP in comparison to the other G7 countries, by chance?

Indeed. California's economy is the fifth largest economy on the planet.

Many people, including Americans, don't know that.

 

[Eximo]

AOL is still providing 1.5 million people with dial up (2023)

 

[USAFRet]

AOL is still providing 1.5 million people with dial up (2023)

As said by my former neighbors, LONG after we had cable/DSL/fiber available...."We don't know how to use anything else".