When it comes to Internet speeds, the country that created the Internet lags far behind much of the developed world. The United States has about an average 6.7 Mbps (Megabytes per second) download speed compared to a global average of 2.6 Mbps. South Korea leads with 15.7 Mbps, followed in order by Japan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and Latvia. One of the primary reasons for America’s poor performance is our obsession with wireless networks, which simply can’t compete with the speed of wired networks.
One company is looking to change that. Google completed its Google Fiber project in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri in July of 2012. Enough time has passed to call it a major success. First of all, it delivers performance. Using fiber-optic communication technology, it delivers 1 Gbps (Gigabyte per second) download speeds. That’s about 150 times faster than the United States average of 6.7 Mbps. Not only that, but it provides cloud storage, television plans, and a low-performance free Internet for a one-time installation fee that is comparable to what the rest of the country has to pay monthly for.
Google is now currently seeking to expand their fiber optic communication system to areas around Kansas City. This provides an opportunity for job seekers since the amount of momentum Google is placing behind Google Fiber and the enormity of the task demands people capable of doing the work. As a foreseeable need in the near future, this could be a worthy investment for specialists in technology.
Finally, Kansas City has erupted into a company start-up haven. Technology companies thrive in areas with fast Internet connection so Kansas City has become a natural choice for many. Certain companies, like SparkLabKC, have received national attention for their part in bringing technology entrepreneurship in force to Kansas City through a unique, mentor-driven business accelerator approach.
It’s clear from Google Fiber that wired Internet connections will continue to play an important role. But that leads us to a final question: what is the future of Google Fiber? Beyond their recent expansion plans, only Google knows for sure. Plans to expand to Canada and New York City may be in the close future. For Google Fiber fans in Southeast Wisconsin, we can only hope that our proximity to Chicago and Indianapolis puts us on the map sooner rather than later.
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Published on January 31, 2013