The slow process of getting the highest speed internet
Whether it’s your Netflix streaming or something more important like transferring medical records from one place to another, chances are you’ve heard the promise of gigabit internet. It’s supposedly way faster than the broadband access in most cities around the country. Google is starting lay the infrastructure for gigabit internet in a growing number of cities around the US. Kansas City was the first. Up next? Austin, Texas.
According to Marketplace Tech host, Ben Johnson, gigabit internet means more business for cities that make it available.
“Since it rolled out in Kansas City, gigabit internet does seem to be attracting startups and new companies. It could bring more tech industry to Austin. The city’s best known local tech company employers are probably Dell and Intel. But there could be a lot more here if it was easier for companies to do their business online at higher speeds.”
Johnson adds that in terms of widespread use of super high speed internet, the U.S. is far behind countries like South Korea. Still, cities like Austin can boast advanced internet technology like the Stampede Supercomputer (pictured above), which has a ten gigabit line out. The downside of these giant supercomputers are the sheer size and noise…but man, are they fast.
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