- Aug 25, 2001
- 56,570
- 10,202
- 126
Just doing some reading on this subject over at DSLR forums, and it appears, that soon, hopefully, eventually, Comcast and other cable providers, will be moving up to DOCSIS 4.0, which allows for (with appropriate plant modifications), a 10Gbit down/1Gbit up customer configuration. This is amazing! Especially, since the Cable Co., just has to replace the head-end (and maybe amps/spliiters along the path, if they move the "split"), but is not hampered with upgrading the ONT like FIOS would be, to get above 1Gbit/sec service. (AFAIK, all FIOS ONTs deployed in the last 10 years, are GPon, and only have 1GbE-T ports on them, nothing 2.5GbE or 10GbE.)
Of course, FIOS and other fiber providers aren't standing still, and I've read that they've done "trials" of XGPon / NGPon (?), of up to 40Gbit/sec down.
Bring on the bandwidth!
I think that this is the only way that wired broadband providers will remain relevant, as companies like T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and StarLink bring wireless internet @ 100Mbit/sec to customers world-wide. Fixed wired providers need to show that they are "premium" and worth the money, and try to shove providers like StarLink into the lowest-performance tier provider category, much like ailing DSL is these days. (Is there anyone still on DSL? 3Mbit/sec? For today's video-based WWW, that's barely better than dial-up. Well, at least still potentially usable, if not for Netflix HD.)
They can do this by showing broadband innovation, and moving to higher tiers of service. Other parts of the world (Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong?) already have 10Gbit/sec home internet service providers, and at reasonable prices too.
If only Google / Alphabet had a real sense of commitment to their customers, like wireline ISPs and "TPC" do, then maybe they would consider a whole-US build-out, and fiber speeds of up to 10Gbit/sec down as well.
(Kudos to Google Fiber for adding a customer tier for 2Gbit/1Gbit down/up, that's still better than FIOS is, and at a much lower cost than Comcast's "Gigabit Pro", which is a consumer Metro-E service.)
I think that one reason that FIOS has been holding back, is the ONT replacement issue, not just with deploying XGpon/NGPon at the COs. That means a truck roll and inside work for nearly EVERY customer, that really adds $$$ to their costs. Of course, moving from 75/75 Moca WAN connection to a 1Gbit/sec FIOS plan using the 1GbE connector on the ONT requires a truck roll and possibly an ONT replacement as well, and generally triggered a "$150 speed upgrade fee" to cover or offset the truck roll costs. I expect to see something similar, moving to faster-than-one-gigabit speeds for FIOS, and of course, us "early adopters" will pay that happily, just for bragging rights.
I know I would love to get 2.5Gbit/sec FIOS symmetrical for $150-200/mo, if only just to try it for a few months. But maybe I'd keep it.
Of course, FIOS and other fiber providers aren't standing still, and I've read that they've done "trials" of XGPon / NGPon (?), of up to 40Gbit/sec down.
Bring on the bandwidth!
I think that this is the only way that wired broadband providers will remain relevant, as companies like T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and StarLink bring wireless internet @ 100Mbit/sec to customers world-wide. Fixed wired providers need to show that they are "premium" and worth the money, and try to shove providers like StarLink into the lowest-performance tier provider category, much like ailing DSL is these days. (Is there anyone still on DSL? 3Mbit/sec? For today's video-based WWW, that's barely better than dial-up. Well, at least still potentially usable, if not for Netflix HD.)
They can do this by showing broadband innovation, and moving to higher tiers of service. Other parts of the world (Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong?) already have 10Gbit/sec home internet service providers, and at reasonable prices too.
If only Google / Alphabet had a real sense of commitment to their customers, like wireline ISPs and "TPC" do, then maybe they would consider a whole-US build-out, and fiber speeds of up to 10Gbit/sec down as well.
(Kudos to Google Fiber for adding a customer tier for 2Gbit/1Gbit down/up, that's still better than FIOS is, and at a much lower cost than Comcast's "Gigabit Pro", which is a consumer Metro-E service.)
I think that one reason that FIOS has been holding back, is the ONT replacement issue, not just with deploying XGpon/NGPon at the COs. That means a truck roll and inside work for nearly EVERY customer, that really adds $$$ to their costs. Of course, moving from 75/75 Moca WAN connection to a 1Gbit/sec FIOS plan using the 1GbE connector on the ONT requires a truck roll and possibly an ONT replacement as well, and generally triggered a "$150 speed upgrade fee" to cover or offset the truck roll costs. I expect to see something similar, moving to faster-than-one-gigabit speeds for FIOS, and of course, us "early adopters" will pay that happily, just for bragging rights.
I know I would love to get 2.5Gbit/sec FIOS symmetrical for $150-200/mo, if only just to try it for a few months. But maybe I'd keep it.
Facebook
Twitter