Broadband Topic Center

Broadband news, reviews and in-depth coverage. Keep up with products, providers, regulations and more.

Google wants Austin to keep competition going for fiberhood status

Ever since Google announced that Austin, Texas, would become the second fiber city in the U.S. last month, residents there have been given few details on how the tech company will select the first neighborhood to get the gigabit-speed Internet and TV package.
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Qualcomm calls for shared in-home cells to handle mobile demand

Consumers will have to share small, inexpensive cells in their homes with nearby mobile users to affordably meet the growing demand for mobile data in the next decade, a Qualcomm executive said Tuesday.

Google and AT&T pony up separate gigabit-speed fiber projects for Austin

Google Fiber with gigabit speeds will be coming to homes in Austin, Texas, by mid-2014, Google announced today.

Rural carriers complain about broadband obstacles

Rural telecom and broadband providers in the U.S. face big challenges in connecting their most remote customers, as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission transitions away from old telephone subsidies, a group of providers told lawmakers.

Google Fiber to expand service beyond Kansas City

Google is expanding its Google Fiber project in Kansas to Olathe, the fifth largest city in the state.

AT&T smashes distance record for 400Gbps data connection

Researchers from AT&T Labs will present the results of a record-setting fiber-optic transmission experiment next week at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference in Anaheim.

Copper still has a lot to offer broadband users, Deutsche Telekom exec says

Thanks to the higher speeds possible using a technology called vectoring, copper networks are still a viable option to cable and fiber, Deutsche Telekom says.

U.S. lawmakers look for waste in broadband stimulus

Some Republican lawmakers on Wednesday accused two U.S. agencies of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars in broadband stimulus money on failed projects, but supporters of the broadband spending questioned the Republican numbers.

FCC: U.S. broadband providers deliver close to advertised speeds

U.S. broadband providers deliver nearly the residential broadband speeds they advertise, with a handful of large providers exceeding the promised service, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said in a new report.

Alcatel-Lucent hopes to make data plans more flexible

Through its new Smart Plan platform, Alcatel-Lucent wants to make mobile subscription plans more flexible and allow data packages to be shared among users and handed out by companies to their customers using an application on smartphones and tablets.

Google Fiber divides users into 'the fast' and 'the furious'

Google's Fiber project in in Kanas City, Austin and Provo shows that very high Internet speeds are possible in the U.S., but nobody except Google is working to make it happen.

My love-hate relationship with my Verizon (Samsung) Range Extender

I installed a Verizon Range Extender about 2 1/2 years ago and when it works it is flawless, but it is quirky.

A new app lets you send pictures via sound

Columnist Mile Elgan finds a new app called Chirp that could revolutionize how we all communicate and share data.

How's broadband use in your neighborhood? Interactive map

Do you live in a highly connected neighborhood? Or is broadband home use rare, either because high-speed Internet access isn't available or people choose not to subscribe? Use this interactive map to find out about your area.

Broadband infrastructure: Time for real policy

The U.S. broadband infrastructure is a monopolistic mess

Motorola's NVG510 DSL modem... not very good

Gibbs is seriously unimpressed with AT&T's choice of the NVG510 DSL modem

Yet more DSL woes

For the last few weeks I've been wrestling with my new AT&T U-Verse DSL service and in my last two Gearhead column I discussed my travails after which you might have assumed all would be well, that AT&T would have pulled out all the stops and sorted out my issues. Alas, this week I'm no happier and, apparently, neither are many of you.

AT&T DSL: Getting What I Pay For?

Gibbs discovered that his DSL service can start at a lower line speed than he signed up for and he's not happy

Diagnosing DSL. Again.

In the last 11 years I have moved house three times. Each time I have purchased Internet service from AT&T and each time AT&T has managed to make establishing service an epic struggle that consumes hours of my time, leaves me without service for days or weeks, and drives me to the edge of homicidal despair.

AT&T vs. Verizon: LTE showdown in the Big Apple

AT&T is rolling out its 4G LTE service in selected markets across the country. How does the new network stand up to Verizon's more mature offering in terms of availability, speed and price?