1gb internet in VANCOUVER?! Yes please

[z3german]

Ultrafast internet service launched by Vancouver start-up - Technology & Science - CBC News

A new Vancouver-based internet provider says it will be offering fibre internet at a speed of one gigabit per second — 60 times faster than the Canadian average — for a comparable price to that lumbering average connection.

OneGigabit, a small start-up launched by computer networking and telecommunications specialist Eric Kuhnke, says that for $45 to $65 a month, he will be offering speeds comparable to those offered by Google Fiber, and also with no bandwidth caps. Google's blazing-fast internet service caused a buzz in the U.S. when it first launched last summer in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., for a modest $70 a month.

A recent report from internet metrics company Ookla showed the average monthly Canadian internet bill is $54 for an average download speed of just 16.6 megabits per second. A gigabit per second is the equivalent of 1000 megabits per second.

According to Google, with its gigabit connection speed:

You can stream at least five high-definition videos at the same time (allowing multiple people to watch different things in different rooms of a house or download).
You can download an entire 14-gigabyte digital movie in less than two minutes.
You can transfer data over the internet faster than you can write it to a thumb drive.
But ultra-fast internet speeds are typically only possible if the "last mile" — the wiring that connects a building to the rest of a telecommunications network — is made of fibre optic cable. That is only the case if the traditional copper wiring has been recently upgraded to fibre technology.

Because of that, the availability of fibre internet is limited in Canada, mainly to certain buildings and neighbourhoods in urban centres, and it isn't cheap.

Advertised fibre internet packages from major internet providers such as Bell, Rogers and Shaw top out at 175 to 250 megabits per second and cost $115 to $226 a month.

In Vancouver, Shaw offers one gigabit per second internet service in small pockets and 250 megabit service in other areas for $115 per month. Novus, a Vancouver-based internet provider launched by the Concord Pacific Real Estate Group, offers 300 megabit per second service for $113 a month in certain buildings in B.C.'s lower mainland, mostly highrises, including many built by Concord Pacific, which put fibre optic cable in them when they were constructed.

However, Kuhnke estimates that 98 per cent of Vancouver buildings don't have fibre, and most buildings that do are large office towers.

Real estate clients targeted
OneGigabit's plan is to negotiate with real estate owners, managers and developers and hook up entire small- and medium-sized apartment, condominium and office buildings that don't currently have a fibre connection.

"To be frank, it's uneconomical to serve a single client, with the construction costs that are involved to run fibre to one particular tenant to the building," Kuhnke explained in a phone interview.

That's why he is targeting as clients the owners and managers of both existing buildings and those that are about to be built — in fact, he said, costs are significantly reduced if plans to run fibre to the building are made during pre-construction planning.

Building owners and OneGigabit would share the cost of running the fibre to the building, which is cheap if it's strung on telephone poles and more expensive if it is run underground using a technique called microtrenching. The fibre inside the building, connecting directly to each unit, would be paid for and owned by the building itself.

Read why Canadian broadband rates vary so much
In cases where the building's location makes fibre installation problematic, Kuhnke has a backup strategy — he is installing rooftop microwave transmitters similar to those used by mobile phone carriers to beam the data from building to building.

According to OneGigabit, the technology can transmit data at up to two gigabits per second over distances of up to eight kilometres.

OneGigabit would cover the cost of the networking equipment, and building owners would commit to a monthly fee per unit for internet service for a fixed length of time, such as three years, with the option to continue the service after the contract is up.

That fee, which would vary between $45 and $65 per month depending on the cost of connecting that particular building, could be passed on to residents in their maintenance fees. Residents would have the option of subscribing to competing services if they wish, but the building would still have to pay the contracted fee to OneGigabit for its service.

In cases where it is too difficult to lay fibre, OneGigabit provides a gigabit-speed connection using rooftop microwave transmitters. (OneGigabit)
Kuhnke, whose start-up is backed by two private investors, said advances in technology are what has made his business model viable.

"We could not have done this two years ago or even 18 months ago," he said. "The radio equipment was half the speed and double the cost."

The cost of fibre has also fallen dramatically in recent years, thanks to the economies of scale provided by its large-scale installation in Taiwan and China, said Kuhnke, who spent many years working in Asia as a network and telecom contractor.

"Those cities are so far ahead of us."

Compare internet rates across Canada
Kuhnke said that, following OneGigabit's launch last week, the company quickly signed up a condo developer who wants to get fibre in before the concrete for the foundation is poured as well as another real estate company that is renovating a building in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood in order to attract tenants at a higher lease rate.

He added that if OneGigabit does well in Vancouver, he would like to expand it to other urban centres in Canada.

'There's no reason why it can't work'
Catherine Middleton, a professor at Ryerson University who holds a Canada Research Chair in Communication Technologies, told CBCNews.ca in an email that she expects Kuhnke's business model to be successful, since it allows for financing of the network and provides a high-quality service to residents.

One OneGigabit uses a technique called microtrenching to connect buildings with fibre optic cable. In this photo, the paler grouting shows where the fibre was laid, 20 centimetres below the surface, without digging up the street. (OneGigabit)
Len Waverman, Dean of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University in Hamilton, and a researcher whose specialties include the telecommunications business, said he thinks the microwave technology that Kuhnke is taking advantage of is "very exciting."

"There's no reason why it can't work," he said, although he cautioned that microwave transmission is less reliable than fibre, especially in bad weather.

Waverman said he could see a demand for gigabit speeds among smaller businesses, but he questioned whether many people would want it in their homes.

"I just don't see what a gig to the home would do," he said. "It's nice to say you have it available, but if you're using it just to download lots of movies, I don't see what the business proposition behind that [would be]."

Middleton said affordability is the key to consumer demand. She noted that a 2012 CRTC report showed 75 per cent of Canadian households had access to download speeds of 50 megabits per second or higher in 2011, but at that time only 0.3 per cent of households subscribed to those speeds.

She added, "If the price were comparable to lower speed services, as it is in Kansas City [with Google Fiber], I expect that demand would be high."

just come out faster!

[FerrariEnzo]

1gb/sec and with not cap for $65 MAX is awesome price...

BUT BUT.. does your house/apt/condo need fibre wiring to get those speeds? but even getting half that would still be worth it...

[z3german]

Yea im paying $60 for 25 mb/s with shaw currently

Im looking to jump the boat, anyone have any experience with Lightspeed or Teksavy?

Noticed Lightspeed's 50mb/s service is about 5$ more expensive than Shaw, but their 25 mb/s service is like 39 bucks...

[lilaznviper]

finally someone is doing this. looks like its going to be radio waves for older buildings and residential homes unless they pay to do the fibre to the house.

[ime2006]

I m definitely going to get it once its available.

For now, It says

Our 1 Gbps FTTH services are available for:
Apartment and condominium buildings located within 20 km of downtown, with pre-existing Ethernet cable from each suite to a basement wiring demarcation point.

Fooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk......only Downtown area.

[StylinRed]

within 20km is quite a wide area

[Razor Ramon HG]

My house by Metrotown to Robson and Burrard is about 13km..

How would radio waves work? I wonder how the ping would be.

[ime2006]

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon HG

My house by Metrotown to Robson and Burrard is about 13km..

How would radio waves work? I wonder how the ping would be.

Here is the coverage.

[FerrariEnzo]

Originally Posted by ime2006

Fooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk......only Downtown area.

LOL its like with Novous.. they cater to only condos/apt



so it will be like Wireless connection for people who dont have the available hardline connection?

[willystyle]

Let me get this straight. This will not be available for detached houses, correct?

[StylinRed]

Originally Posted by ime2006

Here is the coverage.

http://onegigabit.ca/images-onegigab...%20990wide.jpg

oh man so close to ridge yet so far guess im going to the rents more often

[nns]

You encounter problems when the CAT5 going to the suite is damaged. Or if there's only a single CAT5 run to the suite, and a single pair of that run is used by Telus, then there won't be enough pairs to offer gigabit service.

Speaking from experience.

It's a nice concept, what OneGigabit is offering, but in reality, it's not as easy as they make it sound.

[twitchyzero]

count me in if you can get close to 1gbps...but living in a dettached home in east van my chances aren't good

[ime2006]

Originally Posted by willystyle

Let me get this straight. This will not be available for detached houses, correct?

Single house might not have a chance...

Do you want OneGigabit service in your home? Please contact us and ask us to get in touch with the management company or condominium strata council responsible for your building. OneGigabit will provide you and your strata council with a comprehensive information package illustrating how the service is brought to the building, in-building cabling and other details of our 1Gbps FTTH access.

And for sure, i want it in my house.....no matter what.
Can't stand slow ass ISP anymore.

[BurnoutBinLaden]

Hopefully this will send a message to Shaw and Telus.

Probably not, though. They own the vast majority of internet infrastructure in Metro Vancouver. Short of nationalizing the "last mile" of internet and turning it into a public utility (never going to happen) their oligopoly will remain strong.

[lilaznviper]

they did say they have roof radios so single house might work

[willystyle]

Originally Posted by lilaznviper

they did say they have roof radios so single house might work

How is that gonna work? Broadcast it like WiFi and have our devices connect to it? That doesn't sound very reliable to me. The fastest WiFi card today can only run 450Mbps, and you would never get that much throughput.

[ime2006]

Originally Posted by lilaznviper

they did say they have roof radios so single house might work

Nope, that Microwave PTP Dish is only for Condo, Aparment, or Business building for now.

Originally Posted by willystyle

How is that gonna work? Broadcast it like WiFi and have our devices connect to it? That doesn't sound very reliable to me. The fastest WiFi card today can only run 450Mbps, and you would never get that much throughput.

It is nothing to do with WIFI

The dish on the roof top will connect to a moden in the apartment building.

They are using AirFiber1400 and 2000

[twitchyzero]

the article says rate is weather dependent

[Nlkko]

I used to have Novus. Their cheapest plan too and it's fucking amazing.

Paying through the ass with Shaw 50 Mbps and it's not the same. Their modem don't even support 50Mbps, had to use Ethernet.

[willystyle]

Originally Posted by ime2006

Nope, that Microwave PTP Dish is only for Condo, Aparment, or Business building for now.



It is nothing to do with WIFI

The dish on the roof top will connect to a moden in the apartment building.

They are using AirFiber1400 and 2000

You obviously haven't read the other posts. We were discussing the possibility of this setup working with DETACHED HOUSES, NOT apartment complexes.

[ime2006]

Originally Posted by willystyle

You obviously haven't read the other posts. We were discussing the possibility of this setup working with DETACHED HOUSES, NOT apartment complexes.

I know exactly what u guys were talking about.

So far, they are not planning to have dish setup on single house.

You will need AirFiber dish to get "point-to-point microwave high capacity radio" into your house. Or something that can catch this "Radio" into your house.

This is the gear u need. http://www.ubnt.com/store/airfiber/airfiber_24

[willystyle]

Originally Posted by ime2006

I know exactly what u guys were talking about.

So far, they are not planning to have dish setup on single house.

You will need AirFiber dish to get "point-to-point microwave high capacity radio" into your house. Or something that can catch this "Radio" into your house.

This is the gear u need. AirFiber 24 | Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.

I'm not paying $1500 for a setup.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Oh god, 1500... LOL

[lilaznviper]

i would probably pay for it. in the long run i will save $$$ compared to shaw/telus