Sonic brings high-speed fiber optics to Richmond

Maybe you've seen them; the guys with the giant spools of wire accompanied by a truck and ladder crew scaling utility poles outside your windows. No, it's nothing nefarious; it's the guys from Sonic.net bringing you faster internet by way of the fiber optics cables they are hard at work stringing from pole to pole in Richmond.

Sonic says their fiber optic connection can deliver up to "10 Gigabits of fiber-optic internet speed," which they also say is "two times faster than their competition."

Fiber-optic internet is a broadband connection that can reach speeds of up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps), with low lag time. This is a real benefit for those who enjoy pursuits such as online gaming or streaming movies which can be downloaded in seconds.

You could also back up your 256 GB hard drive in no time flat.

Often considered to be a superior choice for quickly transferring information, fiber optics are long strands of precariously drawn glass. The strands are arranged in bundles fitted into cables that transmit light signals over long distances at very high speeds. The light signal is coded as data that your computer receives to reproduce images and information.

Fiber optic cables were developed in the 1950s for endoscopes which were used to view the inside of a patient without surgery, but it didn't take too long before people realized the technology could be used for other purposes.

Reimagined during the 1960s, engineers used fiber optics to transmit and receive telephone calls at the “speed of light” or close to it at about 186,000 miles per second.

A representative from Sonic couldn't say when exactly when their work would be complete, or when services would be available.

For more information, visit https://www.sonic.com/