You may have heard mention of Google Fiber – or you may already have Google Fiber in your city. But do you know what Google Fiber is and what role it plays in the areas it serves?

Hopefully this information will help!

Google Fiber is an Internet Service Provider that is another option similar to your region’s cable provider or AT&T’s Internet service. The more service choices that are available, typically the better those services and their prices are for residents and business.

And – as far as businesses go – the benefits of such options are amazing for small business as well. Now businesses of all sizes which are located in Google’s Fiber cities can pick from minimum to maximum speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1000 Mbps while enjoying the benefits of “fiber.”

Google Fiber’s entre into Charlotte, NC is a true roll-out – as it has been or will be in any city. The roll-out has only just begun. Charlotte’s Google Fiber launch started on July 12, 2016. Beginning with that day, residents and businesses across the city have embraced the possibilities of high-speed, abundant connectivity. Charlotte is already a major hub for business and ingenuity, so superfast Internet has the potential to unlock a new chapter of even greater innovation here. Charlotte is the first city to have three internet plan options for businesses.

Back in 2014, Google launched its Early Access program in order to bring faster speeds to businesses in its Fiber cities. Since then, inspiration has come from what these businesses have been able to do with abundant connectivity.

• A media company now conducts virtual jam sessions.
• A coffee house now livestreams their community events.
• Many have unlocked new possibilities with speedy, reliable connections.

As with any new pay to play service, it’s necessary to check your address to see if Google Fiber is in your area – and if not – when it will be available – and then sign up for the service at the cost associated with the speed and features desired and/or required.

What are the benefits of the availability of Google Fiber in a city or region?

No more buffering. It’s the bane of Internet users everywhere. How many times have you been watching a video on YouTube or elsewhere on the Web, only to have the stream freeze up, forcing you to sit there like a chump while you wait for the video to resume sometime in the near or distant future?

The price is right. Google is striving to make broadband more affordable, so check out this blog for pricing. An added bonus: This could go a long way toward making broadband service affordable in low-income communities, which, in turn, could help close the digital divide.

Prodding the competition. Google Fiber provides vastly faster Internet service in the U.S. in pricing packages that work for individuals as well as for small and large businesses. This is getting the attention of incumbent providers. The lesson is clear: more internet service provider competition means better service for users.

Health-care uses. A partnership here could make it possible to develop gigabit medical applications for the future. Imagine seeing your doctor remotely via a high-speed Internet connection.

Education applications. According to the Federal Communications Commission, students with broadband at home have a 7% higher graduation rate. Correlation isn’t causation, but Google Fiber’s basic service could make it possible for families in low-income neighborhoods to afford broadband service for the first time. Studies have shown that students with broadband at home study more, watch less television, and improve their grades.

Schools and universities across the country are experimenting with remote and networked learning. Teachers and lecturers could simulcast their lessons to classrooms across town — or across the country. Students could collaborate on science projects with their peers in other schools. And with the advent of 3D broadcasting, imagine if students could inspect a visualization of the planets orbiting the sun in the solar system, projected right out into their classroom.

Read more details about these benefits.

Innovations continue to be revealed as Google Fiber/ (1-gigabit Internet service) become more and more “available” across the United States.

Fifteen years ago, when most people still had slow, dial-up connections, many of the broadband uses we now take for granted would have seemed far-fetched:

• Video-conferencing services like Skype didn’t exist for the average consumer. Now, millions of people use Skype to communicate every day.
• Internet-based streaming services like Netflix didn’t exist. Today, millions of people use Netflix to watch movies and television shows over the Internet.

Google is laying the foundation for new, gigabit-based applications that haven’t even yet been invented.

You may have also heard of Gigabit roll-outs that are happening in cities where Google Fiber is going in. The Gigabit roll-out refers to the network infrastructure that supports the use of the Internet in a city or region. The Gigabit roll-out is different than Google Fiber which offers a service that would leverage the Gigabit infrastructure.

Sources: CNN.com, Google Fiber Charlotte

To keep up with what is going on with Google Fiber, read the blog.