I got a bit jealous this morning as I learned that one firm in Hong Kong offers its residents 1,000 megbits per second for only $26 a month:
HONG KONG residents can enjoy astoundingly fast broadband at an astoundingly low price. It became available last year, when a scrappy company called Hong Kong Broadband Network introduced a new option for its fiber-to-the-home service: a speed of 1,000 megabits a second — known as a “gig” — for less than $26 a month.
Verizon, one of the largest US-operated businesses offers 50 megabits for $145 per month. Do the math and you feel a bit lame – 1/20th the speed for 5 times the cost.
Why doesn’t Verizon pony up? Because “it doesn’t have to.” Lame again. But someone’s going to help out, and don’t be surprised:
Google doesn’t want to wait. It and Sonic.net are preparing an experimental deployment of gigabit service to 850 faculty and staff homes in a Stanford University subdivision.
I like Google.
Matthew Snider says
We in Baltimore also may be getting the Google Juice. Can’t wait for it.
Matt Phelps says
In the US I think we just need to wait for at least one company to make gigabit speeds available for dirt cheap for enough people and other companies will either follow or be left in the dust.
The problem comes when you only have one ISP covering an area, as was the case here. (A large cable company just started offering service here a few months ago.) If ISPs aren’t forced to lower rates, increase speeds, or even improve service, either by the free market or by the government, they won’t. Add in some competition and that all changes.
Stephen Bateman says
I think a lot of times ISP’s intentionally don’t double dip on each other so they can charge premiums. Yea that sounds a lot like a textbook cartel doesn’t it.