Official Blog
The latest news from the Fiber team
Introducing dial-up mode
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
At Google Fiber, we are passionate about superfast Internet. We believe that people shouldn’t wait to connect to the things they care about—like that awesome YouTube video, can’t-miss TV series or those photos from the last family vacation.
But as we've rolled out Google Fiber in Kansas City, Provo and Austin, we’ve learned that Fiber has been impacting our subscribers in ways that we didn’t expect. Loading bars used to give people an opportunity to pause and take care of the little things—like making a cup of coffee, taking a bathroom break or playing with the dog. We’ve been told that Fiber’s seemingly instant connections have taken away that precious time.
This got us thinking—what if we could help people get their time back even while they used Fiber? We worked with dial-up engineers, 56k researchers and T1 enthusiasts across the world to build our newest feature: dial-up mode.
It wasn’t easy, but we got to the root of the problem. By incorporating
dial-up technology
, we were able to reduce Fiber speeds up to 376 times by withholding photons from the fiber strands. In doing so, the light-based fiber optic technology dims to a flicker of its previous capacity, giving our users those precious moments to load the dishwasher, hug the kids or walk the dog.
To activate this new feature, simply click the menu at the top right-hand corner of your browser and select 'Dial-up Mode'. Then sit back, relax and enjoy the power of slowness.
Over the coming weeks, we'll be rolling out dial-up mode to gigabit customers in Kansas City, Provo, and Austin, helping meet the need for slow. We hope to bring this feature to all Google Fiber subscribers soon.
Maurice Clarke, Fiber Technologist
Google Fiber is coming to Salt Lake City
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
During my time working in Provo, I’ve seen the impact of Google Fiber firsthand. Hackers from across the country have gathered at
DevMountain
to
develop
new web and mobile applications; the
United Way of Utah County
has
promoted
new digital literacy programs throughout the community; and one organization, called
Now I Can
, has used Google Fiber to remotely
connect
parents with their children undergoing intensive physical therapy in Provo.
Now,
another city
in the
Silicon Slopes
is poised to show the world what’s possible with gigabit Internet. Today, we’re ready to bring Google Fiber to one more metro area—Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake has more than breathtaking mountain vistas and fantastic ski slopes. It also hosts a booming technology sector, world-renowned universities and a vibrant local culture. We’re looking forward to seeing Salt Lake residents use gigabit Internet to spark creative ideas, jumpstart businesses and collaborate in ways they couldn't before.
Salt Lake City will
join
the Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham metro areas in the design phase of building our fiber network. Over the coming months, we’ll work closely with these cities to map out just where to lay our fiber-optic cables. There’s a lot of work ahead; as the new Associate City Manager for Google Fiber in Salt Lake City, I can’t wait to see what the city does with superfast Internet.
For information about Google Fiber’s progress in your area, visit our
website
and sign up for updates.
Posted by Devin Baer, Associate City Manager, Google Fiber, Salt Lake City
Google Fiber for Small Business arrives in Provo (plus more of Kansas City)
Tuesday, March 03, 2015
Since we
launched
our Early Access program in Kansas City, small businesses have
experienced the magic
that comes with gigabit speeds. Take, for example, the documentary film studio that no longer has to ship hard drives to clients to avoid long upload times; or the software developer who can reliably access cloud systems that are vital to his business. Without the stress and lost time of a slow Internet connection, small businesses can focus on what matters most.
Today, we’re bringing Google Fiber for Small Business to Provo and its vibrant small business community, as well as expanding to additional areas of Kansas City (Kansas City North and South). Small businesses in these areas can
sign up
for our Early Access program, and get gigabit Internet for just $100 per month. In the
words
of Provo Mayor John Curtis, small businesses can “kiss loading bars goodbye.”
Provo has already shown us what’s possible when an emerging technology hub has access to gigabit Internet — from the
DevMountain
coding school, to a growing community at the
Startup Dojo
, or a
geneticist
who is using gigabit Internet to download an entire human genome in under an hour. We can’t wait to see what the city’s small businesses do with Google Fiber.
If you’re a small business in Provo or in Kansas City,
visit our website
to get the latest and check if your business is eligible for Google Fiber.
Posted by Devin Baer, Associate City Manager, Provo
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