For all the details that emerged last week during the Google Fiber announcement in Kansas City, Mo., one subject that received scant attention over the course of the hour-long presentation was Google’s plan for making its ultra high-speed network available to businesses.
Kevin Lo, the general manager of Google Access, briefly addressed businesses between discussion of the residential packages Google Fiber will offer and explanation of the residential rollout plan for Fiber:
“We believe that when you have a critical mass of users who are connected with a gigabit of connectivity, it creates great opportunities for businesses as well,” he said. “Now, today we’re here to talk about residential users. But for businesses in the areas that we build, stay tuned: We’ve got some great packages for you, and we’ll be making those announcements soon.”
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So, any entrepreneurs living out high-tech Horatio Alger stories — starting businesses from the humble beginnings of basements or spare bedrooms — could stand to benefit soon from Google’s residential-first rollout approach. But what about startups that are a bit further along, with dedicated, non-residential office space? When, and at what cost, will they begin to water their budding businesses with the Fiber hose?
After the presentation, Google representatives stood by Lo’s wait-and-see message to businesses. But both Lo and and Milo Medin, the vice president of Google Access, took time to visit with Silicon Prairie News about Google Fiber’s Kansas City rollout and what it means to startups, the community and cable providers.
Credits: Video by Michael Stacy.
