Gigabit Squared outlines Seattle fiber prices: 1Gbps for $80 per month

Posted on 25/06/2013 by Alexis Santos

Ultra-high-speed fiber-to-the-home from Gigabit Squared isn't scheduled to light up Seattle until 2014, but the outfit's just revealed what it aims to charge for its blisteringly-fast internet service. Folks who are content with the bare minimum can pay a $350 installation fee and net 5Mbps up and 1Mbps down at no charge for 60 months, and just $10 each month afterwards. With a one-year contract, residents of The Emerald City can avoid the setup charge and score 100Mbps down and 100Mbps up for a $45 monthly bill. If pure speed is your prime directive, 1Gbps up and down will be available for $80 per month, and with no cash put towards installation. Aching to hook up to the web at those eye-watering speeds? You'll have to live in Seattle's West Campus District, First Hill, Capitol Hill or Central Area neighborhoods, as they'll be the first connected to Gigabit Squared's pipes. There's no sign-up process just yet, but it's scheduled to go live next month.

[Image credit: Eli Duke, Flickr]

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Gigabit Squared heading high-speed fiber and wireless internet initiative in Seattle

Posted on 14/12/2012 by Jamie Rigg

Seattle may have lost its high-velocity hoops team, but that doesn't mean it's satisfied with anything but speedy internet. The city has come to an agreement with Gigabit Squared (GB2) to build an unnecessarily wordy "fiber-to-the-home/fiber-to-the-business broadband network." With the University of Washington taking care of "community leadership" (as part of the Gig. U initiative), GB2 plans to utilize Seattle's excess fiber infrastructure, and create more, to deliver new internet options in three ways. In addition to the wired fiber network, the Gigabit Seattle project sees the development of a "dedicated gigabit broadband wireless umbrella" for beaming up to 1 Gbps from radio transmitters to others in direct view, as well as municipal WiFi-like services.

At this stage, only 12 "demonstration" areas are earmarked in the proposal, although the radio-based wireless "umbrella" has the potential to extend that coverage. Gigabit Squared now needs to find the cash to get going if it wants to meet the distant operational target of "year-end 2014." It's worth remembering that plenty of city-wide internet initiatives have failed before this one, and only a Memorandum of Understanding and a Letter of Intent have been signed by all the involved parties -- agreements which aren't necessarily binding. Full details of the plan are available in PR form and at the source link below, or if you're done with prose, a map of the 12 demo neighborhoods hopefully getting hooked up can be found after the break.

[Thanks, Gavin]

Continue reading Gigabit Squared heading high-speed fiber and wireless internet initiative in Seattle

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Source: Gigabit Seattle

Gigabit Squared strikes deal to bring ultra high-speed broadband to six communities

Posted on 24/05/2012 by Donald Melanson

It's still way too early for anyone to start ditching their existing broadband connections, but it looks like a few more communities in the US will be getting some ultra high-speed broadband networks to call their own. Ohio-based Gigabit Squared announced today that it's secured $200 million in funding to bring gigabit-speed networks to up to six different communities -- communities that have unfortunately not yet been named. What we do know is that the communities will all be ones centered around research universities, which themselves will be partners in the Gig.U initiative (an effort that has already enlisted more than 30 institutions). As The New York Times reports, Gigabit Squared is currently in talks with the first university in line for the rollout, and it apparently plans to make more announcements about timing and participation "later this year."