There have been vague rumblings about US ISPs stepping up to match Google Fiber’s gigabit internet offering, especially since Google announced that the next fibre city would be Austin. Now 600 residents of Vermont are actually getting those speeds at half the fibre price. What gives?
The Vermont Telephone Company (VTel), which serves about 17,500 homes, has installed a fibre network and is offering gigabit internet speeds for $US35 a month, compared to Fiber’s $US70. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company’s chief executive is personally interested in upgrading VTel’s phone network because it was originally installed in 1890. Take that, Australian copper network!
The company paid to install the 1900km of fibre using $US94 million of federal stimulus money it won for the project. Gigabit internet will be available to all VTel customers within the next few months, though it’s unclear whether the $US35/month pricing is here to stay or just part of the pilot. [WSJ via Engadget]
Image via Tim Pierce/Flickr