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Report: ‘Google is reinventing the business of pay TV and broadband. Cable operators everywhere should be very, very afraid.’

Aug 9, 2012  •  Post A Comment

So begins a report by Deborah Yao for the well-known and respected cable analyst SNL Kagan.

The article continues, "Frustrated with the nation’s broadband providers and their usage caps, prices and globally lagging speeds, Google is taking matters into its own hands to accelerate innovation and secure its own future.

"Google Fiber is part of a grand plan to create highly connected societies, a place where ‘bandwidth flows like water, where the fastest Internet in the world is available at an affordable price and [where] people can get access to basic broadband for free,’ said Milo Medin, vice president of access services at Google, one of several executives who spoke at the service’s July 26 launch in Kansas City. ‘It’s not just Internet. It’s not just TV. It’s Google Fiber.’ "

The article contines, "Google Fiber is not your run-of-the-mill cable service," and then goes on to say, "Google only offers three plans: A broadband and TV bundle at $120 per month with a free Nexus 7 tablet and 1 terabyte of cloud storage; a 1-Gbps Internet plan for $70 a month and a terabyte of cloud storage; and free broadband at up to 5 Mbps downloading with a $300 installation fee or $25 a month for one year. There is only one channel package, not multiple tiers.

"Local content included: Google Fiber will offer content from local institutions, such as educational videos from a hospital or school. The company said the goal is to become a content-publishing platform.

"Custom equipment: Google made its own gear, boxes that are smaller and more powerful than standard equipment provided by pay TV operators.

"Google Fiber comes with a set-top box it calls a TV box, a network box or modem and a storage box or DVR. The TV box has eight tuners so viewers can record eight shows at once; it is fully integrated with online video and has a Wi-Fi access point built in so it turns every TV into a Wi-Fi router, meaning no more dead spots in the basement. The TV box also has Bluetooth, so viewers can use Bluetooth-enabled stereo headphones to watch TV without disturbing others.

"The storage box stores 2 TB of content, or up to 500 hours of HD programming. The network provides high-speed wireless connections in the home, including a firewall for data security.

"The Nexus tablet acts as a remote. Viewers can even search for shows by speaking to the device."

9 Comments

  1. OH THANK GOD, YES!!!! No, it’s not a cure for cancer; but, where I’m currently paying $225 a month to Comcast for phone, internet and cable – it’s a lifesaver of another sort.

  2. ANYTHING that will squash Comcast like the Bug it is, works for me.
    Technologically this, and what follows it, has been predictable for some time. I am glad to see that it will now be rolling out, create more competition, hence, lower costs for consumers ultimately.
    Everytime you blink, the toys will change.
    Peter Bright

  3. Yeah that is all fine and good. But Google will no doubt be like the rest of them and offer their services only to big cities leaving small towns and potential rural customers with only dial-up to get to the Internet.

  4. But that will all depend on how fast Google can saturate the market with their new service. Optimistically and Realistically speaking, it’s probably gonna be 5-10 year of rolling this service out across the nation before the markets are effected very much. We will have to wait for that “Point of no return” and prey google is getting their projected ROI in order for them to continue deployment to gain coverage to all the areas currently service by cable, DSL, LTE.

  5. Bring it on and hurry, please!

  6. The problem is Monopolies. The Monopolies and Duopolies which are getting fat off slow capped service (ie wishing to charge you per show/content)will use their wealth to legally block any kind of innovation till it’s too expensive to deploy. They already as policy give %6 profit to controlling area political parties who will (and do) extoll that low caps and high charges for low speed is whats best for America. The public “need” will never be represented and new start ups will be squashed.

  7. After 80 years and trillions in lost dollars for hi-tech initiatives, when will you Clods ever learn that Programming Is King? People lust after what they want to lust after; as long as they can see it as cheaply as possible they will watch it; and better-financed “advances” have gone down with huge losses! Try FM radio in 1939 (great sound, but boring)/ slow colorTV sales from 54-64 (nothing on in color worth paying xtra for)/ early cableTV (when the ‘Ugly George Hour Of Truth,Sex & Violence’ came on, NYC cable-subscriptions shot up overnite)/MMDS failing in 89/FLO-TV losing over $1 billion/ and so on. So Google’s initiative is neither good nor bad-it depends on what’s on (or what’s off). That’s why ABC had to pull the plug on its’ WKDH affiliate-more 2 follow…

  8. Pay TV is a dying industry. Whats the point when you can download all your favourite shows or stream them off the internet. I guess the only advantage they have left is live sport

  9. Ichh glaube, falls alle seitenbetreiber und Blogger so einen perfekten Inhalt wie du iin das netz stellen würden, gaebe
    es so viel mehr Sinnvolles zu finden.

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