The Internet is constantly evolving. Average data rate speeds increase every year, but there is only so much improvement that can be made with current broadband connections that use copper wires. Google Fiber is a front runner in the race to continually improve connection speeds.

Google Fiber offers gigabit per second connection speeds and promises to be “…100 times faster than broadband.”  Google first announced its intent to install Google Fiber in Kansas City, Kansas on  March 30, 2011. Since then, Kansas City, Missouri has also been equipped with it. Google plans to next install Fiber in Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah.  How fast is a 1gbps connection? If you had a 10 gigabyte file you wanted to download, you could do so in 1 minute 20 seconds.

That’s fast.

Why Did Google Become an Internet Service Provider?

Many people were surprised when they heard Google announce its plan to install Google Fiber because it seems far removed from Google’s specialization in web services. However, Google Fiber will make it easier and faster for customers to access those services.

Many of Google’s most popular services are cloud-based, like Gmail and Google Drive. With Google Fiber, users will be able to access the cloud at astonishing speeds. Not only that, but Google Fiber also forces its competitors to improve their data rates as well.

Google Fiber comes with three available packages. “Free Internet” which offers users 5mbps download speeds but users are charges a $300 one time construction fee (so it’s not actually free). “Gigabit” costs $70 per month and offers users 1gbps upload and download speeds. It also includes 1 terabyte of memory on Google Drive. Finally, “Gigabit + TV” costs $120 per month and offers the same 1gbps upload and download speeds but also includes a Nexus 7 tablet, TV box, Network Box, and Storage box.

To compare Google’s offerings to its competitors, Verizon FIOS charges $80 per month and offers TV Phone and Internet services. However, its download speed is rated at 50 mbps and its upload speed is only 25mbps. Verizon FIOS’s speeds are no where near Google Fiber’s. If Verizon wants to compete with Google Fiber, it will soon have to make its services more competitive.

Another one of Google’s rivals, Time Warner Cable, has been forced to adapt to Google’s aggressive offerings. The company recently announced its intention to provide Time Warner Cable subscribers with free Wifi in Austin, Texas, only a few weeks after Google revealed its intentions to install Fiber in that city. Clearly, Time Warner Cable realizes that it is at risk of losing subscribers so it expanded its offerings. Verizon has not yet provided its subscribers with additional offerings.

The Consumer Benefits

Google Fiber has increased the competition among Internet service providers. To compete with Google, other ISPs will have to either reduce the cost of their services, increase their connection speeds, expand their offerings, or some mixture of all three. This increased competition will greatly benefit consumers. Google is forcing the evolution of ISPs who will provide more services for their subscribers, for fear of losing them to Google Chrome.

Google Benefits, Too

Since Google generates its money from the Internet services it provides, it will benefit from consumers that have access to faster Internet connection speeds so they can more effectively use Google’s services. Google will make connection speeds increase faster than they ever have.

Another Google product that will benefit from faster connection speeds is the Google Chromebook. Chromebooks rely almost entirely on cloud services. With faster connection speeds, those services will be even more readily available.

Google is paving the way for the next generation of Internet connectivity. Soon gigabit Ethernet connections will be the norm. Google is using its vast resources to force competitors to improve their offerings or be left behind. Google is in a win-win situation because it is helping consumers and promoting its services. Although it may take decades before Google Fiber is widely installed, many are anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Would you pay for Google Fiber? Do you think that Google is changing the face of the Internet? Share your thoughts with us by commenting below.

Source: http://infospace.ischool.syr.edu/2013/05/17/is-google-fiber-changing-the-face-of-the-internet/