The company says that its faster fiber-optics internet service should begin rolling out to a select number of markets in Omaha next week, with availability to almost 50,000 of its customers to arrive by October of this year. This makes Omaha the fifth city in the US to receive gigabit internet, with Kansas City being the first.

The latest city to receive Google Fiber will be Provo, Utah, which was just announced last month, as was the announcement that Google’s gigabit internet would be coming to Austin, Texas. Even certain locations in Vermont will be getting fiber-based internet (not provided by Google Fiber, though). Based on this trend, we should see more cities crop up to challenge other cities for the fastest internet.

However, ISPs in these areas aren’t too happy about the deal that Google is getting with its Fiber service, and they’re fighting back with comparable services of their own. For example, AT&T announced that it would offer gigabit internet in Austin alongside Google Fiber. The war is officially on, and for once it’s not taking place in a court room.

This will be just the newest in a line of Google Fiber systems being set up, Kansas City, Missouri and Austin, Texas already coming up quick. Google is making a big effort to become the premiere brand for fiber-optic internet in the United States here in 2013 as the rest of the industry remains relatively silent. Just this past month AT&T Fiber Internet was announced for Austin, Texas as well.

With the network being purchased today by Google being nearly ready to rock before they arrive, they’ll be able to set up a final system well before they’ve got marketable sales ready for Austin. Residents of Provo have been paying a charge of $5.35 per household per month on their utilities for an all-inclusive internet, television, and phone service for approximately 12 years – this update should have some effect on how that charge is assessed.

“Provo City’s vision has long been one where our residents have access to reliable high-speed broadband Internet. We know that communities are better – and communities are stronger – when people are connected. With this agreement, we have an opportunity to do things that few communities in this country get to do.” – Mayor John Curtis

Residents have been paying said fee regardless of their use of said services, and would have had to pay a rather sizable fee to activate the internet service they’d already been paying for: $700 USD. With Google onboard, they’ll be grabbing internet service at no additional fee just so long as they pay a much more reasonable $30 hook-up charge.

Google will have five years to build out Provo’s current system in place if the deal is finalized. They will also have just 180 days to take over the network successfully after the deal is signed. At the moment it does not appear that Google has any deals signed for TV service.

[via Provo]

As far as geographic scope of offerings, permitting, rights of way, investment incentives, and state licenses go, AT&T is seeking the same fair deals Google is getting. AT&T has also been careful to note to investors that this move will not materially alter their anticipated 2013 capital expenditures.

“Most encouraging is the recognition by government officials that policies which eliminate unnecessary regulation, lower costs and speed infrastructure deployment, can be a meaningful catalyst to additional investment in advanced networks which drives employment and economic growth.” – Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO

AT&T has made clear that they’ll be making this set of moves for the betterment of the communities through which they’ll expand. They’ve been clear that they’d like to applaud local communities and municipalities that have been “acknowledging the promise and power of economic development associated with telecommunications investment.” You all want fast internet, right? Let’s do it!

Have a peek at the timeline below showing each of the mentions of the highest-speed internet roll-out in the history of the United States. Fiber Internet is bringing us all to a whole new place on the web, and it would appear that not just Google is aiming to grab a piece of this pie. Stay tuned to see if Google and AT&T end up clashing!

Google says that Austin is “a mecca for creativity and entrepreneurialism, with thriving artistic and tech communities.” The University of Texas is also located in Austin, which is the location of a new medical research hospital where Google is particularly excited for the folks there to utilize the gigabit internet.

Google expects to start rolling out its Fiber internet service in Austin by mid-2014, and customers in that area will have similar choices of product tiers as the users in Kansas City. However, pricing details are still being worked out by the search giant, but they’ll be “roughly similar” to the prices in Kansas City.

Google will be offering the same free fiber internet deal as those in Kansas City. Customers can a free internet connection at 5Mbps for 7 years, as long as they pay the one-time construction fee, which is around $300. Google plans to not only roll out its internet to residents, but also universities, hospitals, community centers, and other public places.

According to VentureBeat, Google and the City of Austin have sent out special invites for a press conference next week for “a very important announcement.” Of course, at this point, we know that when Google is partnering up with a city government body, it’s assumed that one of the things to possibly be in the works is Google Fiber.

Of course, that’s not always the case, but it seems the evidence heavily favors Austin as a hot spot for Google Fiber internet, since it’s a tech-based city with many technology-based companies located in the city, as well as a number of startups. And of course, the city is home to the annual SXSW festival that has become more and more of a technology-centric festival.

The invitation lists April 9 at 11 AM as the announcement date, and it’s expected that “more than 100 community leaders and elected officials to be in attendance to celebrate this announcement.” We’ll keep our ear to the ground throughout the weekend, and by Monday afternoon, we should be hearing official word about what Google is up to in the Lonestar State.

[via VentureBeat]

Genachowski is calling it the “Gigabit City Challenge,” and he wants all 50 states to have at least one city with gigabit internet availability by the time 2015 rolls around. He’s relying upon ISPs and state governments to help make it all a reality. Of course, other areas in the US have already implemented the faster internet protocol, mostly thanks to private funding, but Genachowski wants ISPs to step up.

Overall, the FCC said that there are currently 42 communities in 14 states with access to fiber-based internet, so we’re already seeing some progress, but Genachowksi notes that as long as “we build it, innovation will come.” He also says that the US ultimately needs this in order to “drive economic growth” and compete globally.

Of course, this is only a goal of the FCC’s and not necessarily a mandate, so they’re really only encouraging ISPs and state governments to step up, rather than force them to introduce gigabit internet, so we’re going to have to see a lot of cooperation between certain parties if we want to see high-speed, fiber internet in all 50 states anytime soon.

Image via Flickr

That fiber option promises up to 76 Mb/sec, with plans starting from £25 per month. There’s also the promise of a £5 monthly discount if you’re also an LTE subscriber, while EE also offers a regular (i.e. non-fiber) broadband package priced from £5 per month, for those with more humble speed needs.

All of EE’s mobile plans come with unlimited calls and messaging, though some LTE-hopefuls were disappointed by the data limits the carrier had opted for. £36 gets you a mere 500MB, while bundles up to 8GB are available; EE says it has made for better value by throwing in numerous extras, such as free movie rentals and cloud backup for devices.

EE Film isn’t just for EE subscribers, either; the app is available for subscribers of other networks, too. It’s currently to be found in the Google Play store, though is also promised for iOS at some point in time. More information here.

The agreement signed today is a multi-year deal, and at this point, it’s unclear which exact patents Google has licensed from Rovi’s portfolio. What is clear is the fact that Rovi holds thousands of patents related to the world of digital entertainment in one way or another (the company itself counts “approximately 5,100″), so it wouldn’t surprise us to hear that Google didn’t have any choice but to sign this licensing agreement. Still, if it helps make Google Fiber’s TV service better, then we imagine paying licensing fees will be a minor detail to the Internet giant.

Google will be offering this new fiber TV service alongside its fiber Internet service, but it’s probably going to take some time for all of this to get off the ground. As of last week’s announcement, only Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS are confirmed to be getting the service, and neighborhoods – “fiberhoods” as Google calls them – will need to compete for the compnay’s attention. Google will be giving neighborhoods that post strong pre-registration numbers priority when it comes to installing service, and the initial roll out is set to last well into 2013.

Despite Google Fiber’s inevitable slow start, it’s good to see Google getting licensing agreements locked down so fast. Seeing as how this is a pretty big undertaking, this probably won’t be the last we hear of Google licensing technology from other companies. Keep an ear to SlashGear for more information, and be sure to check out our story timeline below for more information on Google Fiber!

If you already have the 150Mbps FiOS plan, then you will be eligible for a free upgrade to 300Mbps. The 50Mbps tier actually gets the best boost, tripling to 150Mbps. However, Verizon isn’t planning on any major expansions of its FiOS infrastructure, so if you’re in an area without FiOS, don’t expect to be getting it anytime soon.

The new speeds will be made available starting in June, but Verizon hasn’t revealed yet whether there will be any pricing adjustments. Instead, they said that existing users could choose to remain at their current speeds and not upgrade.

Verizon will offer to replace the older slower routers for existing users that choose to upgrade. The new routers can transfer data event faster than FiOS’s latest speeds. At the slowest tier of 15Mbps, it will take about 44.4 minutes to download a 5GB two-hour HD video, while at the highest tier of 300Mbps, that same video will only take 2.2 minutes.

[via ArsTechnica]

Existing customers who want to sign up for the faster speeds can also do so at no extra cost, but it will require a new two-year contract. While the wholesale product is typically referred to as 80/20, BT is being somewhat cautious: they say the maximum attainable speed is 76Mbit/s down, and 19Mbit/s up. The projections for the existing product have been altered to, with BT now saying that package offers 38Mbit/s down and 9Mbit/s upload.

BT is making the move in response to Virgin Media’s recent speed increases with their own fiber product. Virgin Media said recently that the maximum speed available on its service will soon be 120Mbit/s, although upload will “only” be 12Mbit/s, falling short of what BT’s product is capable of. Price wise, both products are fairly similar: Infinity 2 costs £26, plus BT’s £10.50 line rental, whereas the 100Mbit/s product from Virgin is £34.75 and doesn’t line rental.

[via thinkbroadband]

The Kansas authorities are still in the process of going over the request. It is in that area that Google began deploying a fiber optic network, and it’s the only area that anyone at Google is even talking about when it comes to pay TV right now. Assumedly Google would want to expand if things initially work out there. But there is still a long process before anyone will be calling their cable company and saying they want to disconnect their service so they can switch to Google.

To delve much further into discussions about this now would be an exercise in speculation. Clearly, though, if there’s a company on this planet that has proven it can take on the establishment and win, and provide a more pleasant experience for consumers all around, it’s Google. To enter this market would be one of its most arduous tasks to date, but we’d love to see it try.

[via Digital TV Europe]

Google has chosen Kansas City as its first trial city for Google Fiber, an ultra-fast 1-gigabit fiber optic broadband network that will provide internet connection speeds 100 times faster than current average connection speeds. Google is on track to deploy the new broadband network in Kansas City later this year.

The use of a flat, flexible molding strip means less need for digging, which in turn produces less damage to property and the environment. The molding can run along driveways, along a crack, pressed into the ground or buried in a shallow trench cut in the ground. This method can significantly reduce the amount of time and cost required for deployment.

At MWC 2012, Google chairman Eric Schmidt said that he envisions Google Fiber in almost every city by 2020. Schmidt also expressed sympathy for network operators as many of Google’s service use up a lot of bandwidth while operators struggle with bandwidth limitations, government regulations, and the inability to raise prices or charge services such as YouTube for the usage. Schmidt seems to be suggesting this as part of the reason Google is pursuing the build out of its own infrastructure, which will also be an enabler for the company’s other services.

[via CNET]

The project will initially involve building a solid fiber backbone. Once this infrastructure is completed, then Google Fiber can connect into homes across Kansas City. It will involve laying down thousands of miles of cables across Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

The cables contain many glass fibers about the width of a human hair and can deliver data at 1Gbps speeds. The network will be tested for supporting gaming applications and intensive graphics programs.

Since Georgia provides 90% of Armenia’s internet as well, it was a double play of destruction. The telecom company doesn’t know how the woman came across the cable, which was supposed to be secure, but severe weather and mudslides might have been to blame.

The fiber optic link was installed in 2008, and cost $76 million. The woman was dubbed “the spade hacker” by local media, but has not been otherwise named. She faces up to three years in prison if convicted. But really, she’s 75, and it was a (mostly) honest mistake. Scavenging for copper is common in the former Soviet Union, and some hunters have even been known to use tractors to unearth it.

[via guardian.co.uk]

Data speed is like oxygen, right? Oxygen you take for granted until it disappears. And then it becomes everything.

Cable and DSL weren’t originally designed to transmit and receive digital signals. Originally it was all just the system of copper lines that transmitted analog signals for commercial telephone systems. DSL takes advantage of some property of electromagnetism that I don’t entirely understand to send the signal through the field surrounding the twisted pair. Cable internet, likewise, was bolted-on to the Cable TV system after-the-fact.

It’s not there already because the physical infrastructure that would actually funnel all of the clips of Katy Perry and Justin Bieber to millions of computers through laser beams just doesn’t exist. The beams are not there yet. This allows for some really smart and creative business minds (a.k.a. Google) to have an opportunity to fill these gaps, demand seems to be growing just a little bit faster than the old telecom giants are able to keep up. This is why this project is so important, this allows Google to begin investing some real capital into the Real Stuff that makes up the internet. This market has massive barriers to entry, and Google is taking the leap over the wall.

It’s not all on the telecoms to make these changes to the US network. The Federal government has gotten involved in spreading high-speed access. They have a website that promotes, “Broadband is the great infrastructure challenge of the early 21st century.” As a part of the National Broadband Plan those fine folks put together this interactive map of broadband coverage throughout the US.

Note though, Google’s entire project hangs on the approval of KC’s Board of Commissioners. I wonder how many telecommunications lobbyists linked with AT&T and/or Verizon made appointments, phone calls, or visits down to KC’s City Hall today?

This could give Google the leg-up it needs to start building it’s own broadband empire in infrastructure, the only place it matters. Google has been looking to open large parts of the US telecommunications networks, starting with the FCC Auction for the ~ MHz spectrum last year. They have been unsuccessful thus far. It doesn’t really matter that much to consumers which company gets to provide them with fiber. That’s a battle that’s going to be fought in board rooms and City Council meetings over the next decade or so. But the best part of this whole project, if it goes through… This will link the entire town of Kansas City together with hair-thin fibers of glass and laser beams, and that’s a step in the right direction.

“Circuits, apparatus, and methods that provide a connector system that can supply both power and data to a mobile computing or other type of device using a single connection. Further examples also provide a power and data adapter that can provide power and data to a mobile computing device using a single cable. Further examples provide an easy disengagement when a cable connected to the connector is pulled. One such example provides a magnetic connector that uncouples without binding when its cord is pulled. Another example prevents power from being provided at a connector insert until the connector insert is placed in a connector receptacle.” Apple patent

Apple doesn’t suggest that the fiber optic technology it has in mind is actually Light Peak, but the company is known to be working with Intel on the new system. The idea to combine a fiber optic link with power would allow for a broader range of ports on a multi-function AC adapter, as in Apple’s illustration above, as well as taking advantage of the easily-detached magnetic port.

Interestingly, the new MagSafe would also apparently be backward compatible with previous, power-only versions of the connection. An alternative system included in the patent suggests a dual-headed cable, with a split AC adapter section and docking array that could, for instance, be placed on top of a table. As with all patents, it’s worth taking this with a pinch of salt – trying to protect the concept doesn’t necessarily mean a company has any intention of actually using it – but given Apple’s historically ruthless attitude to cutting out older ports, switching to fiber optics would certainly make some degree of sense.

[via 9 to 5 Mac and via Patently Apple]

Hitachi upcoming InfiniGreen Optical active cable enables 12x QDR (10Gbit/s) full-duplex InfiniBand connectivity, it’s 6 times more bandwidth and only consumes 1/3 power compares to counterparts. Also, the cable terminal is compliant to InfiniBand Trade Association standard, and the presence of fiber optics is less bulky and more flexible in handling and installation.

The company will exhibit the new InfiniGreen InfiniBand cables at San Diego OFC/NFOEC Convention from March 24th through March 26th. Presently, samples are out and already delivered to selected customers.

TOKYO –(Business Wire)– Mar 16, 2009 Hitachi Cable, Ltd. (TOKYO:5812), a leading supplier of high-end cabling and electro-optical components for the IT, data communication and telecommunication industries, today announces the upcoming launch of its InfiniGreen(*1) line of Optical Active Cables. InfiniGreen will provide 12x QDR (10Gbit/s) full-duplex InfiniBand(*2) connectivity, which is six times more bandwidth than current market solutions. At the same time, InfiniGreen is projected to typically consume only 0.9 watts per termination, about 1/3rd that of today’s InfiniBand active cables. InfiniGreen accomplishes this by embedding parallel optical transmission lines within the cable, which is terminated with the CXP connector currently being standardized by the InfiniBand Trade Association.

“InfiniGreen provides the performance attributes that HPC (High Performance Computing) and data center owners are requesting for the years ahead”, stated Lou Marra, Senior Vice-President of Hitachi Cable America. It provides the next level of InfiniBand-standards-based connectivity, yet with a power consumption-to-bandwidth ratio reduction of almost 6-fold. It connects to the server just like a copper cable patch-cord, but it is easier to handle, as the embedded fiber optics is less bulky and stiff. This ease-of-handling, together with the reduced power consumption and Hitachi Cable’s well-known quality, will significantly reduce our customers’ cost”.

Hitachi Cable has started to ship samples to select customers. Hitachi Cable will also perform live demonstrations of InfiniGreen at Booth#1449 in OFC/NFOEC 2009 exhibition held at San Diego Convention Center in March 24th through March 26th.

Twilight Umbrellas aren’t new, but they have been updated a bit and the lights have been moved around a bit. There are three different umbrella styles now that serve up combinations of lighting outwards or lighting the underside of the umbrella to offer a more stylish way to keep out of the rain.

The Blue Stars Umbrella remains blue and has fiber optics on the top of the umbrella. You can purchase it for $31. The Color Phasing Stars Umbrella, rotates through five different color combinations and shines out the top of the umbrella for all to see. It costs $34. Finally, the Inside and Out Phasing Stars Umbrella phases through five colors on both the outside and the inside of the umbrella. This last model costs $43. Pretty pricey for an umbrella, but you’re certain to make a statement with them.

[via Coolest Gadgets]