Fiber speeds of 1 Gig are ‘standard’ now, according to ISP execs

In 2012 Google Fiber deployed fiber broadband in Kansas City, its first market, and people were astounded that they could get 1 Gbps symmetrical internet service. But now, of course, that’s standard. A panel of fiber operators at Mountain Connect talked about the ever-increasing demand for faster speeds and how they're differentiating themselves from the pack. Alberto Garcia, a regional government and community affairs manager with GFiber, said the reality today is that everybody is offering 1 Gig. “Just being a fiber-to-the-home network is not what's going to differentiate you anymore. It's what happens after the person gets that 1 Gig.” Dennis Pappas, director with NextLight Internet, talked about being a non-profit fiber provider in Longmont, Colorado. NextLight has built a municipal fiber network in a city with a population of about 100,000 people with 50,000 serviceable structures, and its fiber broadband now passes 90% of locations. It competes against Comcast and CenturyLink, whose fiber customers are currently being transitioned to AT&T.