Technology, Broadband | featured news

U.S. federal telecommunications regulators are pushing ahead with efforts to bring faster Internet service to commercial and private airline flights. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday started deliberations on a proposal that would offer a new type of in-flight broadband service promising U.S. fliers higher Wi-Fi speeds and better connections.

Google Fiber has a lot going for it, both as an ISP and a pay-TV platform. There was was one gaping hole in the service though: no HBO. Lets be honest with ourselves, its the big geeks that are looking to hop on that 1Gbps service first. And what do geeks love almost as much as blazing-fast Google-branded internet? Game of Thrones. Now Kansas City (and soon Austin) based nerds will be able to watch Joffrey become an even bigger monster live, rather than wait for some torrent site to get an illegal copy of it up (or, if they're smart, mooch off of someone's HBO GO account). Alongside HBO, Google Fiber has also added Cinemax: Home Box Office's less cool sibling. The branded families of channels are both available today for $20 a month or $10 a month respectively. Or, if you're a real premium TV fan, you can get both, plus STARZ and Showtime for $40 a month. Hit up the source for a few more details.

Google expands its super-fast broadband service to Austin, Texas, offering speeds of up to one gigabit per second.

Faster speeds for the latest version of mobile technology are being made available in several UK cities. EE, owner of Orange and T-Mobile, says its fourth generation (4G) broadband speeds should double to more than 20Mbps.

Dish Network is adding a satellite broadband service called dishNET that will target rural customers with little or no current Internet access.

Google (GOOG) is building a network of glass right to people's houses. But some broadband experts believe that Google is spending too much money to build the ultimately money-losing network. Moreover, consumers can get similar network speeds through DSL and WiFi -- with a much lower investment.

AT&T is shutting down its second-generation, or 2G, wireless networks by 2017 as it continues to upgrade its systems to faster technology and better use its limited airwaves.

Google unveiled Fiber, its long-awaited Internet service that it says will operate at a speed 100 times faster than a typical broadband connection, in Kansas City. The company, which says it is trying to spur innovation, has put broadband providers on edge.

T-Mobile USA said it would spend $4 billion on its wireless network to offer the high-speed fourth-generation mobile broadband service known as LTE.

Verizon and AT&T will sell a version of the upcoming iPad that runs on their newest fourth-generation wireless networks, as the battle to cash in on big investments in mobile broadband heats up.