Verizon says it has successfully tested new technology that would allow it to deliver Internet broadband speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second — which is 10 times faster than the speed of Google Fiber.
That is pretty fast, considering that Google Fiber is already 100 times faster than the average broadband connection.
Verizon tested its next-generation passive optical network, or NG-PON2, between its office in Framingham, Massachusetts, and a house three miles away. At those speeds, the company said, a two-hour HD movie could be downloaded in eight seconds, much faster than the 17 minutes it would take on Verizon's current network.
Fiber-optic cables, like the ones used by Google Fiber and Verizon FiOS, transmit light signals over incredibly thin strands of glass. Verizon's new technology, the company said, works by "simply adding new colors of light onto the existing fiber." It would be possible, Verizon said, to boost speeds as high as 40 to 80 gigabits per second.
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For now, that is more speed than most people need, but as bandwidth-intensive technologies like 4K video become more widespread, customers might be willing to pay big bucks for blazing fast Internet.
