broadband

Google launched its 1-gigabit-per-second broadband service in Kansas City today and also unveiled a new interactive television service called Google Fiber TV, in a move it hopes will push the broadband and paid TV industries to deploy speedier networks at a lower cost.

Google Fiber TV is a service that provides interactive search for TV that lets you search your DVR as well as content you have on services like Netflix. It will include a DVR with up to 500 hours of storage of shows and movies all in 1,080p High Definition. You can also record up to eight … Read more

China has seen a massive growth in online users, an 11 percent increase on a year ago, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

The government-sanctioned group's report published online showed the number of Internet-connected users in China rose to 538 million by the end of June, up from 485 million in 2011.

Mobile Internet use rose to 388 million users -- up by 22 percent from a year ago. The number of fixed-line broadband users, meanwhile, fell by 70 million over the past 18 months.

China now has more mobile broadband subscribers than those with fixed-line broadband … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission's annual "state of the union" on ISP and broadband performance shows most Internet providers are offering speeds as advertised -- while others are offering Internet access at speeds that exceed consumer expectation.

On the whole, ISPs are reaching 96 percent of advertised speeds during peak hours, up by 9 percent on a year ago. Older technologies, such as DSL, are being outshone by more reliable cable and fiber service -- to the extent that fiber customers in particular are getting more than they actually pay for.

DSL remains high at the bottom of … Read more

Google will be launching its new fiber-based broadband network in Kansas City next week, according to a company blog post.

Google has set up a special page announcing the launch date of July 26. The company didn't provide further details, but on the Web site it says to check back at google.com/fiber on July 26 for the full announcement. You can also sign on to the mailing list to be alerted when the announcement is made.

The blog GigaOm said in an item about the Google post that invitations had been sent out for a launch event … Read more

It may be "good to talk," as telecom giant BT's ads put it in the early '90s. But two decades on, the U.K. has evolved into a nation of texters.

According to research published Monday by U.K. communications regulator Ofcom, text messaging is outstripping actually making a call. Last year 58 percent of people communicated via text messaging on a daily basis, while only 47 percent made a mobile call at least once a day, the watchdog found.

Voice calling is seeing something of a drop in popularity: mobile call volumes were down by 1 … Read more

Comcast has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a Federal Communications Commission probe into the cable giant's broadband marketing practices after its merger with NBC Universal.

The settlement came after an FCC investigation found that Comcast representatives were not adequately marketing its standalone broadband service, a violation of a condition for the carrier's merger with NBC Universal that required Comcast to "visibly offer and actively market" the standalone Internet service for three years.

"Today's action demonstrates that compliance with commission orders is not optional," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. &… Read more

Mobile hot spots are popular items these days, but there's something to be said for the plug-and-play simplicity of a USB aircard. Pop it into your laptop and presto, you've got broadband. And because it draws on your laptop's beefy battery, it's one less thing to keep charged (and one less charger to bring along).

For a limited time, T-Mobile has the refurbished Rocket 3.0 4G Laptop Stick for $19.99 shipped, plus a $15 prepaid data refill card. Regular price: $79.99 (plus $15, natch).

The Rocket measures 1.1 inches x 3.4 … Read more

Google has acquired more than 50 patents from Magnolia Broadband, a company focused on improving scalability and capacity across the mobile space.

According to Magnolia, the patents come from its Mobile Transmit Diversity portfolio, which includes a host of technologies related to increasing mobile network capacity, expanding coverage, improving uplink transmission speeds, and increasing a device's battery life.

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

According to Magnolia CEO Osmo Hautanen, the software Google's newly acquired patents relate to can be "embedded into any mobile broadband device." The software is sold to mobile device … Read more

Lenovo ThinkPad users who need 3G access can now get it without having to cough up money for a lengthy contract.

Available starting today, Lenovo Mobile Access is a service built into select ThinkPad Classic and ThinkPad Edge laptops for customers in the U.S. and parts of Europe. The service is geared for customers who may need mobile broadband access from time to time but don't want to be saddled with expensive monthly fees.

Lenovo ThinkPad owners can buy a "Time Pass" costing just $1.95 for 30 minutes of access allowing 30MB of data, or $… Read more