Japanese ISP launches 2Gbps home internet service

An ISP in Tokyo, Japan has launched its 2Gbps broadband service, which it says is the fastest in the world for home use, PC World reports. So-net Entertainment, a Sony-backed ISP now offers its internet service, called Nuro to homes, apartments and small businesses in the city and six surrounding prefectures. 

The report goes on to elaborate that those opting for this service will have to pay 4,980 yen (USD 51) each month on a 2-year contract. They will also have to shell out 52,000 yen towards installation charges - at the moment, the company is offering free installation to those who’re applying for it online. 

The Nuro service includes rental of an optical network unit, or ONU that is capable of handling high speeds. “ONU devices are commonly used in homes and business to convert fiber to broadband internet. Individual users of the service are unlikely to see 2Gbps speeds on their devices, as it exceeds the capacity of most consumer network adaptors,” the report adds further. 

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Last year, Google launched its Google Fiber service offering 1GBbps Internet service, a hundred times faster than the average Internet connection in the world. The search giant launched Fiber in Kansas City first and it was for consumers only. At the time, over 20 percent of the fiberhood zones that the company designated gained enough pre-registrations to guarantee a buildout.

The reason Kansas was picked as the launch city despite more than a thousand cities participating in the race to be the first to be connected by Fiber. Last week, it was announced that Austin, the capital city of Texas, will also be getting Google Fiber connectivity soon.