When Google introduced its Google Fiber service, millions rejoiced. Finally, a company that had enough technical and cultural power to leave an impact in Comcast and Verizon's monopoly on the cable market. While the search giant is taking a long time to spread Google Fiber across the country, Verizon and Comcast are doing what they can to respond to Fiber's low costs and high speeds.
Comcast's latest attempt is its Gigabit Pro Internet service. The mass media company says that users who pay for Gigabit Pro will receive access to speeds as high as 2 gigabytes a second, which is twice as much as what Google Fiber can reportedly do. But who will receive this new service first?
"Atlanta residents will be the first customers to get the service. But unlike Google Fiber and AT&T U-Verse, which roll out their Gigabit Internet offerings to select communities within cities, Comcast promised that its service would be rolled out to 1.5 million residents of the Atlanta metro region," reports CNNMoney.
While this sounds great for people in Atlanta, Comcast did not release details about when the service would be available, or how much the service would cost. However, the service would require Comcast to complete a huge renovation of its cable network, including the removal and replacement of cords that exist under homes and yards.
This announcement comes months after Google announced its plans to bring Google Fiber to Atlanta, and AT&T plans on releasing its own Gigabit service in the city. Both companies would offer an Internet package priced somewhere between $70 and $110, as well as a an additional TV package that would cost anywhere between an additional $50 to $60.
Why are companies putting so much emphasis on gigabit-speed Internet services?
"Google, AT&T and Comcast say that gigabit speeds are important for providing fast service to multiple devices that could be connected to the Internet at the same time," according to CNNMoney. "And they are making a long term bet that companies like Netflix will eventually boost speeds for customers with faster connections, perhaps offering higher-quality video."
