Gigabit Squared, the ultra fast internet service provider that announced it would lease some of Seattle's fiber optic network capacity late last year has announced its pricing plans but for most of West Seattle, it will be some time before they can become a customer.

The technology will be offering gigabit speeds that are 1000 times faster than the typical high-speed connection. Different than current local internet providers the service will be symmetrical (equal upstream and downstream data rates) to enable interactive services that require two-way sharing of video, audio, images, and other large files in real time. Typically upload speeds are far slower than download.

Gigabit Squared’s pricing plans for Seattle will be structured as follows:

. Installation Charge:  Installation charges will be waived for customers signing a one-year contract for 100 Mbps service or greater.  Otherwise, a $350 installation fee is required.

. Service Plan Options:
Plan A:
5 Mbps download/1 Mbps upload: No charge for 60 months
5/1 Mbps services are transferrable to new renters or owners
After 60 months renters or owners can convert to a 10 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload service plan for only $10 per month

Plan B:
100 Mbps download/100 Mbps upload for $45 per month
No installation charge with one- year contract

Plan C:
1000 download/1000 upload Mbps for $80 per month
No installation charge with one-year contract

At first 14 neighborhoods will get a broadband wireless umbrella to cover the city providing point-to-point wireless access up to a gigabit. The wireless network will consist of a WiFi (IEEE 802.11) wireless cloud. The wireless service will lead and augment fiber builds enabling early access to the network and an overlay for mobility. The wireless cloud will start to 'roll out' sooner than will full FTTH (Fiber To The Home) services. This wireless coverage will provide network and Internet services to customers that don’t have immediate access to fiber anywhere in the city.

The concentration in West Seattle is around the Junction area where major construction of new apartments is about to get underway, but spokesperson for Gigabit Squared Matt Weinland said, "The first areas for construction/deployment (areas 1 and 3) were chosen based almost entirely on technical reasons. With respect to West Seattle, we do not expect to be significantly - if, at all - affected by the construction."

Weinland continued, "We will be focusing on building out the identified areas and expanding from those points based on demand; typically wireless will come up in a given area before the first home gets fiber; that is a function of resources and the realities of permitting processes and construction efforts. However, it is not our intention to do ONLY wireless throughout the city before any FTTH is started/completed. Homes will come online in one area as construction starts in another area."

The Gigabit Squared fiber network that follows will initially be made available to neighborhoods located within the University of Washington West Campus District, First Hill, Capitol Hill and Central Area of Seattle as part of a program called Gigabit Seattle.

You can sign up to get more information as it becomes avaiable here:
http://gigabitseattle.com/signup/