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Google to America: Get Online

Om Malik — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:18:30 +0000

Google makes no bones about the fact that it is a speed freak. It loves speedy websites and punishes those with slow websites. It wants faster wireless Internet. And with the recent launch of its gigabit to the home broadband program in Kansas City, Kan., the company has made it clearer: When it comes to broadband, faster is just better. Of course, that move disappointed a whole lot of people, including our own Stacey Higginbotham, who has been praying for better broadband in Austin, Texas.

Friday morning, Domain Name Wire, a blog dedicated to the domain name industry, reported that Google has registered more than 100 domains such as Alaska Get Online, Get Alaska Online, Get Online Alaska. The search giant has registered domain names for other states such as Alabama, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota, Arkansas, Arizona and so on. It also grabbed GetAmericaOnline.com. There may be more.

“Although it’s not clear if Google is the registrant, a company that registers domains for Google also registered HowFastIsMyBrowser.com at the same time,” Domain Name Wire reports.

Does this mean Google is going to start fiber broadband services in these states? I wish, but it’s not going to happen. I’m betting this is just another way for the company to start lobbying politicians and pushing for faster Internet across America. After all, the faster America gets online, the more it needs to use search to find something, anything. And that can’t be bad for Google.

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Comcast shows off 1 Gbps broadband

Om Malik — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:33:35 +0000

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts showed off the next-generation cable broadband technology on Thursday, which could deliver data at over 1 gigabit per second to our home. Roberts showed a live 11-mile cable network and downloaded 23 episodes of 30 Rock in 1 minutes and 39 seconds, touting it as the future of wireline broadband.The news of Comcast showing the demo came out yesterday.

Roberts, who made the presentation at The Cable Show in Chicago, also added that broadband — along with Wi-Fi — is the future, as multiple devices would need a lot more bandwidth to watch television. Comcast is the largest broadband provider in the U.S. “Our broadband sales have been better. Our revenue per customer has gone up as we have increased speeds and better broadband,” said Roberts. “The gap has widened with other networks.”

The cable industry is coming under increased pressure from fiber-based network providers who have the advantage of brand new networks with higher capacities. The latest version of DOCSIS on which Comcast demo was based shows that cable guys aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. It’s also facing pressure from faster wireless speeds from ISPs deploying LTE. Some customers may look at those speeds and decide to dump their wireline networks, which means cable has to offer both faster wireline networks, but also offer customers the convenience of faster wireless networks for customers outside the home.

Hence, Roberts is extolling the virtues of Wi-Fi and calling it a game changer. “In 2020, we will want more bits in and out of our homes and we will build that, and we are confident that they will come,” Roberts added.

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Broadband Growth Skids at AT&T

Om Malik — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:25:07 +0000

AT&T’s continuing reliance on its fast growing wireless business cannot hide the fact that the wireline broadband growth is slowing for the company, as its first quarter financial results show. Even as its competitors have offered higher speeds at better prices, Ma Bell has muddled along, choosing to devote all its energies elsewhere.

During the first quarter of 2011, the Dallas-based company added 175,000 new wireline broadband connections, down a whopping 31.4 percent from 255,000 new additions during the first quarter of 2010. When compared to the fourth quarter of 2010, wireline broadband additions fell 20 percent. Leichtman Research Group estimated that AT&T had 16.3 million broadband subscribers at the end of 2010.

AT&T is getting clobbered because it has started to fall behind the cable guys – not exactly white knights – who are at least offering broadband packages that are in tune with today’s consumer. Unlike Verizon, which is deploying fiber to the home and can offer consumers up toi 100 Mbps, AT&T’s U-Verse broadband plans at best can be described as ho-and-hum with speeds that can’t crack the 25 Mbps barrier. Let’s just face it – Ma Bell is a dusty old company that uses M&A to paper over its inability to come-up with innovative new offerings.

Today, when it comes to broadband there is a comfortable duopoly with no-one motivated to innovate. Cable guys are aggressive enough to stay ahead of lumbering phone companies like AT&T. Unfortunately, we are going to see the same dynamics come to play on the wireless side, thanks to the T-Mobile-AT&T merger, which will prove to be counter-productive.

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