Skip to main content

Google Fiber still reigns supreme as the fastest Internet service provider

google_fiber2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It appears Google Fiber remains top dog as far as U.S. Internet providers go for the month of March. According to the Netflix ISP Speed Index, the current Kansas-and-Missouri exclusive ISP streamed Netflix videos at an average rate of 3.45 megabits per second – roughly a 35 percent increase in speed since November, 2012. The bad news? Most of us still aren’t any closer to being able to use the service (unless you’re in Austin).

Notable runner-ups include Cablevision, at 2.39 Mbps, followed by Cox, at 2.25 Mbps, and Suddenlink, at 2.19 Mbps. Cox, the third largest cable provider in the U.S., managed to climb a whopping six positions in the rankings since January, while Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and few other ISPs remain stable after continually dropping several slots during the past several months.

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 10.27.29 AM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

On a global scale, Google Fiber remains the fastest ISP of the eight countries included in the index, followed by Sweden’s Ownit with an average bitrate of 2.95 Mbps. The index also revealed Netflix members in Finland tout the highest average bitrates, while Netflix members in Mexico exhibited the slowest streaming rates of anywhere the service is offered.

Recommended Videos

If being the fastest ISP isn’t enough, Google Fiber also offers the service for a mere $70 per month, or a $120 bundle that includes TV service and a free Nexus 7 tablet for remote use. That’s not too shabby for an ISP that set up shop less than a year ago, and it’s a tremendous deal compared to other similar high-speed Internet services (if you can call them that) like Cablevision and Verizon. For instance, the latter’s quickest package only offers 300 Mbps for roughly $200 a month.

Despite the current dismal speed offerings, ISPs across the country continue to tout that they’re capable of much quicker speeds, even 1-Gbps in some cases, while claiming that the consumer base for top-tier plans isn’t substantial enough to warrant implementing the required infrastructure. In January, Irene Esteves, Time Warner Cable’s Chief Financial Officer, said the company is already delivering 10-Gbps speeds to its business customers and would build up its product base if there was a greater demand for the faster speed packages.

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 10.27.06 AM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The release of the new monthly data coincides with the launch of the new Netflix ISP Speed Index, a collection of international data that is updated on a monthly basis to compare ISPs from around the globe. So far, the index includes information from the U.S., Mexico, Ireland, UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, and with more on the way. Even though the popular video-streaming service breaks down speeds for different regions, the data is based on the average streaming performance of more than 33 million Netflix accounts from around the globe.

Netflix is quick to point out that average performance falls below the peak performance due to a variety of factors including Netflix encodes, network conditions, and the types of devices members use to stream content. When comparing ISPs, these factors cancel each other out for a more accurate picture of streaming speeds.

Brandon Widder
Brandon Widder is a multimedia journalist and a staff writer for Digital Trends where he covers technology news, how-to…
Google will replace unsafe Gmail SMS codes with QR scan verification
Receiving two-step security code via SMS.

Ever since Google enabled two-step verification for Gmail and other tied authentication protocols in its ecosystem, SMS codes have been a mainstay. But according to security analyses, SMS codes are notoriously unsafe, especially when the communication channel is not encrypted. That is finally about to change, as SMS codes will soon be replaced with QR codes for Gmail authentication.

When it comes to account security, SMS is not the most reliable choice for receiving sensitive verification codes, or one-time passwords (OTP) on phones. That is why, over the past few years, Google has steadily developed password alternatives such as on-device Google prompts, authenticator apps, hardware security keys, and the Passkey system to minimize the risks such as SMS phishing.

Read more
This budget-friendly HP laptop is even more affordable after a $200 discount
The HP 15.6-Inch Laptop on a white background with the Windows home screen.

For a budget-friendly device that will still be able to get you through your daily tasks, you should consider the HP 15.6-inch Laptop, especially now that it's on sale from Walmart with a $200 discount that drops its price to only $299 from $499. We're not sure how long you've got until the offer expires, so if you want to take advantage of one of the most affordable laptop deals that we've recently seen, you need to hurry in completing your transaction.

Why you should buy the HP 15.6-inch Laptop
The HP 15.6-inch Laptop isn't equipped to beat the performance of the best laptops. It only packs the AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor, AMD Radeon Graphics, and 8GB of RAM that's typically found in entry-level laptops, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. However, these specifications will be more than enough for simple tasks such as doing online research, typing documents, and making presentations, so if you'll mostly be using your laptop for these activities, this is a purchase that's perfect for you.

Read more
Nvidia admits to rare RTX 5090 performance glitch
RTX 5090.

While trying to get its Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card more solidly on the market, the component manufacturer and its retail partners have bumped into some functionality issues with the GPU that affect its performance.

Several users have obtained the RTX 5090 GPU from multiple different retailers, and have reported a unique problem, where the GPU does not have as many ROPs (Raster Operations Pipeline unit) as it should to sufficiently render images in 3D post-processing.

Read more