Just a week or so after Google announced its plans to build an ultra fast broadband network in the USA offering speeds of up to 1Gbps another company Cisco Systems has announced plans to build a network offering the same speeds.

The Google plan would see Google offering services direct to consumers while the Cisco plan is to help develop networks for the existing providers such as AT&T and Comcast who are already Cisco customers.

1Gbps broadband would throw open a whole new realm on online possibilities including highly advanced web based applications which would fit with Google’s dream of making everything based on cloud computing.

As well as applications the HD video streaming on demand direct to TV screens would help expand the internet well beyond a place to surf websites on your computer and into a service that could enhance many aspects of life at home.

As new broadband networks are built it is likely there will a larger than ever divide between large built up areas which attract the new services first and rural areas which may not be cost effective to provide services to. It will have to be seen in the US what sort of government intervention will take place to miminise this issue.

Talks of 1Gbps have also caused questions to be raised here in Australia about the government backed broadband network which plans to provide speeds of around 100Mbps in eight years time. With the rate that broadband changes will Australia be left with a system that is out of date before it even launches? Time will tell.