Entrepreneurs Dream of Jumping on Super-Fast Network

As Google starts to roll out its elaborate Fiber project in Kansas City, the area's entrepreneurs are plotting how to capitalize on the one-gigabit communications network in creative ways.

Over time, Google Fiber hopes to spur a new wave of technological innovation, from telemedicine to cloud computing, that can capitalize on its network's ability to stream high-definition videos and transfer large files. Indeed, some believe Google Fiber is so powerful that it will improve education technology and transform how businesses operate. Internet video streaming, in particular, seems ripe for new applications. Google Fiber's emphasis on Internet-TV technology may also spur a new way to use apps, which are now primarily developed for computers and mobile devices. But enabling one-gigabit Internet speeds across the country is still a pipe dream. It would take Google a long time to dig the trenches and string the fiber-optic cable so that it can roll out Fiber elsewhere. According to some analysts' estimates, the cost would eventually be tens of billions of dollars.