Google Fiber

[gopokes88]

Cox is currently in the process of rolling out their own Gigabit service in OKC. It will be interesting to see how they price it going against Google.

They'll go toe to toe with google, what other choice do they have? They'll try to build a better package then google. Like 500mbs but more channels. Competition is good, cox isn't going to fold up and die, they're just going to have to compete. Welcome to the free market cox, let's see how you do. Ultimately, the consumer wins.

[Snowman]

They'll go toe to toe with google, what other choice do they have? They'll try to build a better package then google. Like 500mbs but more channels. Competition is good, cox isn't going to fold up and die, they're just going to have to compete. Welcome to the free market cox, let's see how you do. Ultimately, the consumer wins.

Not to mention, for Cox the upgrades to convert their system to deliver Gigabit service are much cheaper than for Google to lay out all their infrastructure, so they can compete on price pretty easy. A non trivial reason cable speeds plateaued at the current level is they blew past what the telcos could offer as a premium internet service with their existing infrastructure. Sure Google can eventually offer higher speeds with fiber than the cable companies with coax last miles but at this point we are probably a few years away from services to individuals or families that even Gigabit speed will be fully utilized.

One other thing is with no bandwidth cap, it pressures the others not to actually start acting on the ones they have tagged into the services but at least currently are not doing anything with the wired versions.

[Pete]

Bumping this up in advance of today's expected announcement.

[SoonerDave]

Cox is currently in the process of rolling out their own Gigabit service in OKC. It will be interesting to see how they price it going against Google.

I've read pretty consistently where Cox has already rolled it out that they're pricing it at $99/mo.

No idea how bundles or discounts or similar promos might affect that.

[SoonerDave]

Not to mention, for Cox the upgrades to convert their system to deliver Gigabit service are much cheaper than for Google to lay out all their infrastructure, so they can compete on price pretty easy. A non trivial reason cable speeds plateaued at the current level is they blew past what the telcos could offer as a premium internet service with their existing infrastructure. Sure Google can eventually offer higher speeds with fiber than the cable companies with coax last miles but at this point we are probably a few years away from services to individuals or families that even Gigabit speed will be fully utilized.

One other thing is with no bandwidth cap, it pressures the others not to actually start acting on the ones they have tagged into the services but at least currently are not doing anything with the wired versions.

I suspect one reason we're seeing Gigablast from Cox is because they had a pretty strong hunch Google Fiber was coming. Also, it sure seems to me that Google Fiber is inherently future-proofed because the technology is so fundamentally superior with a huge upside. Cox is constantly depending on reinventions of cable plants, bandwidth sparing, compression, and the like to squeeze every last drop of bitness from their existing physical plant. That's the other side of the long-term future of cable - not just the loss of subscribers to other providers, but that big coax cable laying in the ground. There's only so far they can milk it.

[Thomas Vu]

This all makes me sad as my apt is AT&T exclusive

[loveOKC]

This all makes me sad as my apt is AT&T exclusive

No worries, based on history once Google announces their next city, AT&T tends to magically announce availability of its GigaPower service. I wouldn't be shocked if in a few months AT&T makes a similar announcement.

[SoonerDave]

No worries, based on history once Google announces their next city, AT&T tends to magically announce availability of its GigaPower service. I wouldn't be shocked if in a few months AT&T makes a similar announcement.

Cox threw some sort of a PR hissy fit toward one of its customer cities in California when it went all crazy for Google Fiber. Seems like it was just within the last few months.

Amazing what competition does to someone who's never really had it.

[barrettd]

Bumping this up in advance of today's expected announcement.

What's the expected announcement? I'm out of the loop.

[SoonerDave]

What's the expected announcement? I'm out of the loop.

Strong indications of a possible announcement this week (today?) about OKC getting Google Fiber. Presser at 1pm today (28 Oct):

http://www.okctalk.com/general-civic...tro-areas.html

[DoctorTaco]

This would be great news, but the build out will likely take at least a few years from announcement to operational network. Although it will have an pretty instant effect on AT&T and Cox, pushing prices down and speed/caps up. They also ran into a lot of issues in Austin getting access to poles owned by others because they only have to provide access to utilities and Fiber wasn't (although, I guess now High Speed Internet is a utility per the FCC). I also know they've been working on Atlanta for about two years now and there is still no service.

One thing they have also done, at least in the original cities, is they will not start building until X number of people sign up and pay an up front deposit. No idea if they are still doing this or not, though.

Another plus is they've had the same prices in KC since they first offered service, unlike Cox that raises their price $5 every year.

Another plus is even if you don't switch to Google, experience in other markets show the legacy providers (in our case Cox) are forced to reduce prices and improve services to survive in a suddenly competitive market.

[Pete]

OKCTalk - Google Fiber coming to Oklahoma City

[FighttheGoodFight]

What does expansion look like for this? I mean are we going to see it in all the metro? Edmond, Moore, Norman, etc...

[Bobby821]

Will cities like Moore Norman etc also be getting Google Fiber when they come?

[Pete]

^

Yes, when Google Fiber goes into a market they usually go into the suburbs as well.

Might take a little longer but Edmond and Norman can almost be guaranteed of getting the service.

[jccouger]

Nice! Now more households will have access OKCtalk.com

[Jake]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss!!!

[sgt. pepper]

So what is the big deal about Google Fiber other than the "Google" name? What are the advantages over other cable or satellite companies? I saw somewhere where the slow internet access is free?

[Pete]

They bring fiber optic cable right to your door.

Then, you can either get the free internet access or a full gigabit (!) of service for $70 / month or TV + fast internet for $130.

[bchris02]

They bring fiber optic cable right to your door.

Then, you can either get the free internet access or a full gigabit (!) of service for $70 / month or TV + fast internet for $130.

Yeah $130 for TV + Internet is an amazing deal compared to what you can currently get from Cox.

[Bobby821]

So I am guessing Moore should get it since it is right in between OKC and Norman. The wait will seem like forever but hopefully this news will mean easier negotiations with Cox come renewal time.

^

Yes, when Google Fiber goes into a market they usually go into the suburbs as well.

Might take a little longer but Edmond and Norman can almost be guaranteed of getting the service.

[Pete]

Yeah $130 for TV + Internet is an amazing deal compared to what you can currently get from Cox.

More than the price, the internet speeds are way, way faster which means the TV can be far more interactive with more on-demand content and they will be able to pipe in Ultra HD when they want.

Plus, you get to do business with Google rather than Cox.

[Bobby821]

And No Data Caps!! unlike with Cox

[bchris02]

And No Data Caps!! unlike with Cox

Yeah this was one thing I really liked about Cox until recently when they changed it. They had no enforced data cap, unlike AT&T and Time Warner which have had caps for years. The 1TB cloud storage you get with Google will also be amazing. With 1 gigabit, I will be able to use it to its potential. On Cox, the slow upload speed and data caps make the cloud a pain.

[SoonerDave]

So what is the big deal about Google Fiber other than the "Google" name? What are the advantages over other cable or satellite companies? I saw somewhere where the slow internet access is free?

The biggest thing that's not evident in the great speeds and service is the upside potential of a fiber-based cable plant vastly outweigh the aging and limited upside of Cox's copper backbone. Cox has done a great deal to manage its bandwidth issues over the years, and eventually they'll max out what can be done with it, but Google Fiber's upside is huge. Offering a TV package is really just icing on the cake to get people who may not fully appreciate the 1 Gb/s speed to see what they can offer.

The set-top boxes they offer in KC each have a built-in wireless access point, and allow for remote operation via Bluetooth. They give you one for nothing, and additional boxes are just $5/month. If you're a family with two or three Cox boxes from Cox at $8.50/month, you start saving money every month from day 1 (3 boxes: $10 vs $25.50) on that alone beyond the better service pricing model in general, and it appears that boxes from Google have DVR by default.

I realize it'll be a couple of years before anyone can sign up, but the idea of fiber to the home is truly tech-geek exciting for OKC.