Sony Backed Japanese Internet Service Twice The Speed Of Google Fiber

Those of us in the United States might be dreaming of the day when Google Fiber rolls our way, but the reality of ultra-fast Internet has come to the forefront in Tokyo and various other places in Japan, where Sony has backed an ISP to offer 2Gbps service for about $50 per month. This is in comparison with Google Fiber, which offers a top speed of 1Gbps with a higher price tag.

The ultra-fast Internet service is called Nuro, and is being offered by So-net Entertainment in Tokyo and six other prefectures in the vicinity. The service rolled out earlier today, and aside from the 2Gbps download speeds, users will also see 1Gbps upload speeds. Jealous? We are. And on top of that is the monthly price tag below what most of us pay for much slower service.

There are a couple downsides to the service at the moment, although the ISP is waving the biggest one for the time being. Those who subscribe will be charged a fee equivalent to $540USD for installation, although for the time being, that fee will be waived if service is applied for online. Talk about a good deal,

And aside from that, users will be required to sign for a two-year contract as part of the subscription, although we can't imagine anyone wanting to switch service after a few months or so of 2Gbps download speeds. The biggest barrier, then, will be whether users have hardware capable of taking advantage of such speeds. A problem more of us would like to be faced with.

[via Japan Daily Press]