aubreyturner.org

February 16, 2004

Fiber Is Good For You

Someone just left a hang-tag on my front door. At first I thought it was one of those annoying marketers who don't read the "No Solicitors" sign. I usually throw them away unread, but the Verizon logo at the top caught my eye so I read it.

It turned out to be a notice that they were going to be running fiber optic cable through my yard as part of their new fiber-to-home rollout. Once complete, it will allow them to offer 100Mbps networking and a host of other new offerings. They definitely have my attention now. If they can offer me a 100Mbps network connection at a reasonable price I'd dump Charter's cable modem in an instant. They'd get bonus points (and I'd be willing to pay even more, within limits) for a symmetrical service (i.e. no obnoxious upload cap).

Posted by Aubrey at February 16, 2004 11:04 AM | TrackBack
Comments

100mbps? As in, 77 times faster than my DSL which runs at 1290kbps according to speed tests?

That would be something! You could download an entire DVD movie in nine minutes, or a music CD (uncompressed) in forty-five seconds. The amount of communication game servers could have with the client machines would mean a quantum leap in server size and game complexity. Very high resolution BMPs (as opposed to compressed JPGs) could become the new Web standard. You could work on the Web with literally no bottleneck other than the speed of your own thoughts and inputs.

Posted by: Kevin White at February 16, 2004 02:06 PM

OK, if they're doing this in my neighborhood, I would be tempted to convert from DSL when I get back home. Or maybe have it done by my house sitter. Provided I can get static IPs.

Posted by: Jeff Medcalf at February 16, 2004 03:33 PM

I went looking around on Verizon's website and couldn't find any information about this new service. I did find some information through Google concerning Verizon's selection of equipment providers back in December. At this point it appears that they're just getting the infrastructure in place before they start offering the new services.

I wish they'd provided more information about availability and pricing. Dang it! They've got me all excited about the new services and aren't offering any info on how to get them.

Posted by: Aubrey Turner at February 16, 2004 06:42 PM
Site Meter