World's fastest Internet arrives in Tokyo: 2Gbps for $50/mo

[Rick]

So-net, a Sony-owned Internet service provider, is busy rolling out 2 Gbps fiber-based Internet to Japan's Tokyo-area residents. Named "Nuro", the company's blazingly fast service is double the speed of Google Fiber and claims to be the fastest in the world. Just as impressive though is its price: about $50 per month. American fiber-optic offerings like Google Fiber and Verizon FiOS (150/65 Mbps) run $70 and $129 per month, respectively.

While Nuro's monthly cost and incredible speed are both undeniably attractive, there are a couple of caveats: a roughly $540 installation fee and a two-year contract. This fee is presumably to extend fiber connectivity to dwellings not yet on the grid, but that's a cost which Google has been absorbing for its gigabit subscribers. Also, Google only asks for a one-year contract.

Tokyo is possibly one of the most suitable places for fiber connectivity -- a high-tech, impressively dense urban landscape. In fact, Japan is currently second in the world when it comes to existing households boasting fiber connectivity. Nearly a quarter of all households in the country are already connected to fiber.

Nuro leverages Japan's sprawling Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (GPON) -- a distribution of fiber connectivity reportedly capable of downstream speeds topping 2.488 Gbps.

Last week Google and AT&T announced plans to outfit Austin, Texas with fiber-based Internet service; however, those networks will "only" be 1 Gbps. When it comes to broadband speed, the U.S. continues to lag behind a number of smaller countries, earning a 12th place spot.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/52275-worlds-fastest-internet-arrives-in-tokyo-2gbps-for-50-mo.html

 

[madboyv1]

If you break out the cost of the installation over the 24 month period, the monthly cost still ends up being ~$72.50 + plus any addl fees and taxes, then drops back down to $50 a month moving forward from there. I'd GLADLY absorb the initial installation cost for that kind of service, as long as I have at least 100Mbps of upstream traffic (even 50Mbps, but come on, downstream traffic is 2Gbps). My home server would love to swim in an ocean of bandwidth.

edit: however, one cost no one considers is the actual cost of living in Japan, and in Tokyo no less... Hint: it's atrocious for space and the comforts many Americans and Europeans are used to.

 

[Guest]

Oddly surprising last year a small town (pop. 7500) began rolling out Fiber service. For them its

1) $99 install fee $99/month and 3 year contract for that price.

OR

2) $99 install fee and $129 month to month with no contract.

 

[m4a4]

I like it when they try to make it a competition...

 

[Twixtea]

I'd pay an arm and a leg for a 2gbps connection, well not literally but yea.
I'm stuck here with 4mbps connection with capped monthly bandwith and people argue about the price of that connection.
Oh and I think it was Japan who intended to stream 4K video content by their media by 2015 iirc?
So any internet regarding bottlenecks are removed, Japanese are really serious when they strive for something, it's really admirable.

 

[howzz1854]

I'd pay an arm and a leg for a 2gbps connection, well not literally but yea.
I'm stuck here with 4mbps connection with capped monthly bandwith and people argue about the price of that connection.
Oh and I think it was Japan who intended to stream 4K video content by their media by 2015 iirc?
So any internet regarding bottlenecks are removed, Japanese are really serious when they strive for something, it's really admirable.

just wait till you see what the Germans can do.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

"When it comes to broadband speed, the U.S. continues to lag behind a number of smaller countries, earning a 12th place spot."

Yeah, all we need to do is take the population of every state west of the Mississippi and pack them into an area the size of California. That should make it easy to run fiber to everyone.

 

[tipstir]

Comcast just double me from 50 down to 105 down with some tweaks
D3 modem Ubee 1GB port
Tweaked Connection removed all splitters from the CATV box.

 

[TS-56336]

Unless you want to stream a movie or two?. and stream music at the same time, and if you have a son and wants to play online and you realize 3 to 6 MBPS suck?. you're craving for at least 20mbps but your internet provider cracks open your wallet with their prices.

 

[MrBungle]

Can we please get 10Gbps ethernet to become the defacto standard on everything so we can acutally use that kind of speed?

 

[Darth Shiv]

Can we please get 10Gbps ethernet to become the defacto standard on everything so we can acutally use that kind of speed?

Good point

 

[windmill007]

Come on who needs that. Verizon assures me that my 3MB DSL is the best around!!! It's soooo freaking fast /s

 

[Guest]

And here in MB, Canada, we pay ~$70/month for a 15-20MB line, and if you don't need that much speed, a 256kb line costs, NO JOKE, $35/month. (at least from my ISP).

 

[Jad Chaar]

Tokyo is ready for 4K. My 20MB download is good enough for me. No need for faster internet unless you are streaming 4K.

 

[tipstir]

The cost for 50 down was $99 bucks but with the $100 bucks off a month (on their dime because they have been over charging me) cost me like $14 with taxes. But now it's 105 down for the same $14 with taxes. But 105 with tweaks yields up to 132mb down. That's the fastest I ever had I've come along way from dial-up days 2.4kb, 9.6kb, 14kb, 56kb, adsl 1mb, 3mb, 5mb, cable 15mb, 20mb, 25mb, 30mb, 50mb and now 105mb.

 

[Guest]

Here in romania for 10 euro you have 100 mbps. but the minimum salary is just 180.

 

[Stickmansam]

I'm at about $35 for a 15mb down 150kb up in vancouver, canada. That's with a bundle deal though, non bundle is about $50

 

[Darth Shiv]

Tokyo is ready for 4K. My 20MB download is good enough for me. No need for faster internet unless you are streaming 4K.

How about backing up data to cloud? Here's a case study for you. 155mins of 1920x1080 30fps (that is JPG compressed video at 11MB/s - not RGB encoded or RAW) video takes 100GB. That is standard output for a smartphone btw. If you have a 1mbps uplink, that takes 12 DAYS to upload. Tell me that is practical?

What if you take video for a living? A smartphone is low spec compared to professional kit. And that's just a video specific analogy. Uploading *anything* is a problem on current broadband in your country and mine.

 

[Darth Shiv]

Just got to say this. What I am absolutely staggered about is how many people say "There is no need for faster internet" and "what would you use faster internet for?" because they don't know what to do with faster internet. That's backwards. How can you know what to do with it if you can't do anything now because you don't have that bandwidth *to do more*?

Working in an IT company, personally I have a hundred things that I would do faster. You know what we do at the moment when we need to get a copy of a 40GB database backup? We use Australia Post. That is absolutely hilarious - in the digital age, we POST a database backup on thumb drives or DVDs because it gets there faster than our internet would transfer it. A joke around the office is carrier pigeon would be faster - the risk is DoS by eagles.

 

[Guest]

And I pay $50 p/m for my 2Mbs line in South Africa....

 

[NTAPRO]

Japan gets all the good stuff T_T

 

[Guest]

Just got to say this. What I am absolutely staggered about is how many people say "There is no need for faster internet" and "what would you use faster internet for?" because they don't know what to do with faster internet. That's backwards. How can you know what to do with it if you can't do anything now because you don't have that bandwidth *to do more*?

Working in an IT company, personally I have a hundred things that I would do faster. You know what we do at the moment when we need to get a copy of a 40GB database backup? We use Australia Post. That is absolutely hilarious - in the digital age, we POST a database backup on thumb drives or DVDs because it gets there faster than our internet would transfer it. A joke around the office is carrier pigeon would be faster - the risk is DoS by eagles.

Everyone should be just like you then, right? With everyone constantly backing up all of their data, why are they even saying they don't need 2Gbps? Truly puzzling.

 

[Arris]

Unless you want to stream a movie or two?. and stream music at the same time, and if you have a son and wants to play online and you realize 3 to 6 MBPS suck?. you're craving for at least 20mbps but your internet provider cracks open your wallet with their prices.

I moved recently from an area where I had about 15mbps to one that has 3mbps. Streaming LoveFilm movies suffers from hiccups and downloading games and updates takes forever!

I checked before I moved to see if better broadband would be available. Found that British Telecom would be rolling out fibre in the area in December 2012, and the unlimited package we are on means I'd get upgraded to 50-70mbps at no additional cost. Most of the area I live in have been upgraded, but one cabinet hasn't had fibre run to it yet, the one at the end of my street. Looks like it will be December 2013 before BT get their finger out! So frustrating knowing a couple of streets away have nice fast internet.

 

[Edohiguma]

Nothing new. NTT's sub-company OCN has been offering symmetric 1 Gpbs with their "OCN Hikari with FLET'S" since 2011. They're now just upping the ante.

 

[Edohiguma]

Just got to say this. What I am absolutely staggered about is how many people say "There is no need for faster internet" and "what would you use faster internet for?" because they don't know what to do with faster internet. That's backwards. How can you know what to do with it if you can't do anything now because you don't have that bandwidth *to do more*?

Working in an IT company, personally I have a hundred things that I would do faster. You know what we do at the moment when we need to get a copy of a 40GB database backup? We use Australia Post. That is absolutely hilarious - in the digital age, we POST a database backup on thumb drives or DVDs because it gets there faster than our internet would transfer it. A joke around the office is carrier pigeon would be faster - the risk is DoS by eagles.

Everyone should be just like you then, right? With everyone constantly backing up all of their data, why are they even saying they don't need 2Gbps? Truly puzzling.

Yes, you should backup your data regularly. Common sense would dictate it. Even if it's just your email and browser data. Backups are good. It's just like when working on something the old rule still applies "Save, save, save and save again".

 

[Guest]

I wonder what it wil be like to have a 1 Mbps line lol