fiber optic
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Frontier rolls out 5Gbps fiber internet across the US
Frontier is challenging AT&T and Google by trotting out 5Gbps internet access across its network.
T-Mobile is selling fiber internet in a 'very limited' pilot program
T-Mobile has launched a pilot offering fiber optic home internet service in New York City.
Japan breaks internet speed record with a 319Tbps data transfer
Japanese researchers have broken an internet speed record by transferring data at 319Tbps — nearly twice as fast as last year's achievement.
Facebook ordered to clean up undersea drilling equipment in Oregon
Facebook has earned the ire of Oregon residents and officials for abandoning drilling equipment off the state’s coast, 50 feet under the sea floor. The company used all those for Facebook’s undersea fiber optic cable project but had to abandon them after an accident that snapped the drill pipe.
Verizon promo gives gigabit Fios customers free Google Stadia bundles
How do you sweeten the pot for gamers wanting extra-fast internet access? Throw in free goodies, apparently. Verizon (Engadget's parent company) is launching a promo that gives new Fios gigabit internet customers a free Google Stadia Premiere Edition bundle if they sign up through June 30th and are installed by August 1st, 2020. You'll have 4K game streaming tech that can take advantage of that fiber optic bandwidth. With that said, you'll want to think carefully about taking up that offer -- there are a couple of gotchas.
Google Fiber drops its 100Mbps tier in favor of gigabit-only service
Google Fiber's main selling point has been its gigabit internet access, but there has usually been a low-cost option like the $50 100Mbps plan. However, that choice is going away. Google has announced that it no longer offers the 100Mbps tier to new customers -- it's either the $70 gigabit plan or nothing. If you ask the company, it's a reflection of evolving internet technology and usage habits.
Google’s Curie undersea cable now connects the US and Chile
Curie, a 10,500-kilometer-long undersea cable, now connects Google data centers in the US and Chile. Today, Google announced that the fiber optic cable has been successfully installed and tested. It is expected to begin transmitting data in the second quarter of 2020, and Google is already working on a branch into Panama.
Google, Cuba deal could bring faster internet to the island
Today, Google signed a memorandum with Cuba's telecom monopoly ETECSA to create a cost-free connection between the two networks. Doing so will boost Cuba's internet speeds, but this peering agreement comes with a catch. Cuba will first need to install a new undersea fiber-optic cable to physically connect its network with a Google "point of presence." And that could take years.
Your next smart shirt will make you look like an extra from 'Tron'
Cambridge Consultants is a research and development company from, yup, Cambridge in the UK, that acts as a sort of DARPA for the private sector. That's why you're just as likely to see the outfit producing sensors for the oil and gas industry as it is knocking out madcap tea machines, robotic basketball coaches or automatic beer taps. After a lunchtime trip to the pub, two of the company's oil and gas engineers wondered if it'd be possible to leverage its sensors know-how into a piece of fitness clothing that could offer would-be athletes an unprecedented level of detail.
The Daily Roundup for 03.26.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Researchers create hollow fiber optic cable, almost reach the speed of light
Fiber optic cables are usually made of glass or plastic but those materials actually slow down the transmission of light ever so slightly. Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK have created a hollow fiber optic cable filled with air that's 1000 times faster than current cables. Since light propagates in air at 99.7 percent of the speed of light in a vacuum, this new hollow fiber optic cable is able to reach data speeds of 10 terabytes (!) per second. Now that's fast. While the idea isn't new, it's previously been hampered by signal degradation when light travels around corners. This new hollow fiber optic cable reduces data loss to a manageable 3.5dB/km, making it suitable for use in supercomputer and data center applications. Isn't science wonderful? [Image credit: qwrrty, Flickr]
Vodafone brings fiber optics to the Shard, gives you signal high above London
What good is a spectacular view if you can't use your phone to tell people about it? London's newly opened 95-story skyscraper, The Shard, measures 1,016 feet, making it the tallest building in the European Union. From the 69th and 72nd floors, you can get 360 degree views of the city, up to 40 miles out, according to the building's owners. But what happens when the 200 people who can fit on the platforms at any one time want to user their mobile devices? Vodafone's implemented a fiber optic system that converts signal into light, allowing it to travel upwards at a rate of 100GB per second. Once they've hit the proper spots, its converted into a radio signal, which is then beamed to several antennas located on different floors. More information -- and some cool imagery -- can be found in the source link below.
Corning's USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt cables smaller, lighter, longer
Corning, the same company that brought you the Gorilla Glass used on most smartphones, announced new optical Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 cables yesterday at CES. The cables make use of Corning's ClearCurve VSDN optical fiber technology to extend data transmission range while being smaller and lighter. [Ed. Note: The demo at CES was impressive, as the optical cables were able to bend in ways we've never seen from optical cables.] The new cables won't increase USB or Thunderbolt data speeds -- it takes new controller hardware on devices to do that -- but it's possible to run data over farther distances than ever before. The USB 3.0 cables will be available in lengths up to 30 meters (about 100 feet), while Thunderbolt Optical Cables will come in lengths up to 100 meters (330 feet). Thunderbolt fans will find that their version of Corning's cable provides full bi-directional 10 Gbps data rates, while the USB 3.0 cable can handle rates up to 5 Gbps. The cables will be available in the first quarter, but pricing has not been announced. [via Engadget]
Caltech invention focuses light like never before, could bolster next-gen communication platforms
Light. What is it? What isn't it? Such are the questions left to the experts at Caltech, which have just concocted a new device that can focus light to a point just a few nanometers wide. That kind of precision has never been done at scale, and the university is hoping that the invention could help "pave the way for the next-generation of communication, computing, and even imaging technology." In lay terms, it could allow increased bandwidth for fiber optics, and since it's built on-chip, integration with existing doodads shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Previous on-chip nanofocusing devices were only able to focus light into a narrow line, making them inefficient, whereas Caltech's contraption can be focused in three dimensions, producing a point a few nanometers across, and using half of the light that's sent through. Hyuck Choo seems to think that it can be put to use in short order in the medical field, but it remains to be seen if we'll see this in the next wave of Google Fiber rollouts. But hey, a lowly DSL user can hope, right?
EE switches on 4G in 11 UK cities, offers fiber broadband to 11 million sites and opens 700 stores
Today marks the launch of the UK's first 4G network, with EE switching on its service in 11 cities: London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton. If you don't have access immediately, you might not be waiting long, as the company promises 2,000 square miles of 4G network will be added every month from now on. This £1.5 billion investment means five cities will join the exclusive list before Christmas, and in the longer-term, 98 percent population coverage is expected by the end of 2014. Wired services aren't being forgotten -- EE Fibre Broadband is also available from today with the potential to serve 11 million locations with speeds of up to 76 Mbps. Want to learn more about the new services? Then head to one of the 700 EE stores (rebranded Orange and T-Mobile locations) opening this morning. If your bank account can handle it, that is.
Virgin Media begins pushing its UK broadband to 120Mbps, much to Usain's delight
If you're one of Virgin Media's top-tier internet customers, you may soon see your service getting a little speedier. The Branson-backed company is boosting its top speed from 100Mbps to 120Mbps, thanks to a £110 million ($169 million) infrastructure investment. The majority of the network -- around 60 percent -- has yet to be supercharged, but you can use the coverage checker linked below to see if you're in-line for an early Christmas present from Sir Richard.
Google Fiber pre-registration program closes in the Kansas Cities
Gigabit internet speeds are nothing more than a dream for most of us, but for residents of the Kansas Cities, that reality is not far off. The six-week pre-registration program for Google's Fiber network closed yesterday, and at least 180 of the 202 "fiberhoods" earmarked for the upgrade have met their target. That number could rise when all the late entries have been counted, but we won't know until the complete list of areas drops later this week. If yours doesn't make the cut, it's not all bad news: Google's Jenna Wandres told us that although this initial rollout covers Kansas City, KS, and central Kansas City, MO, Fiber will be expanding north and south of the Missouri side in the future. When pre-registration opens for this second round, the 20-some-odd areas that failed to meet the initial criteria will get a second chance to, so start being extra nice to the neighbors if you want to get them on board. Unfortunately, we couldn't confirm even a ball park date for the expansion, but for the 180-plus hoods that qualify on this occasion, it's time to get excited. Any RTS gamer will know the value of getting your openers tight, and El Goog's currently compiling a "build order" so the areas that expressed the most interest in Fiber will have it first. According to Jenna, implementation is coming "very soon," so be ready to repress that hysterical scream when you see a Google truck casing your block.
Time Warner Cable expanding fiber broadband coverage in NYC, only businesses to benefit
Google, we're not in Kansas anymore, we're in New York, where Time Warner Cable is planning to drop $25 million on expanding its (up to) 1Gbps fiber broadband infrastructure. Specifically, the additional network is hitting neglected areas in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but it's not for general consumption -- it's strictly for businesses. Don't feel too disheartened though -- you might not be getting a slice of this particular fiber pie, but it's all you can eat, all the time at the free WiFi buffet.
Plusnet pushes its UK-fibre-optic broadband to 76Mb/s
Stereotype-embracing ISP Plusnet has added a new tier of fibre-optic broadband, offering speeds up to 76Mb/s. The revamped Extra Fibre package now offers upload speeds of up to 19.5 Mb/s, with a 250GB monthly usage allowance, matching those offered by parent company BT. Of course, those of us who can't even get ADSL2 will just have to watch on, with jealousy in our eyes.
Mainland China, Taiwan send first data over direct fiber optic link, take steps towards peace and harmony
Relations between mainland China and Taiwan haven't always been what you'd call warm, even with many companies having a footprint in both regions. Consider the first bursts of network traffic from a newly active connection as olive branches: a pair of undersea fiber optic cables running between southern China's Xiamen and the Taiwan-claimed Kinmen island chain represent the first truly direct data link between the two sides. Built by China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom and Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom, the link both has its share of diplomatic symbolism as well as the very practical advantage of a faster, more reliable route -- there's no globetrotting required to get data and voice to their destinations, and there's fewer chances of blackouts if a boat inadvertently slices a cable. We wouldn't go so far as to call it a Happily Ever After for either faction after decades of tension, but it does at least provide a greater semblance of normalcy to their communication. [Image credit: Aine Hickey, Wikitravel]
