Think your broadband speed is slow? Now it's going to look positively archaic.

KDDI, one of Japan's largest telecommunications outfits, has (as of October 1) launched 1Gbps service throughout the country, specifically designed for consumer use in homes and apartment buildings. That's a ten-times boost over the previously available top speed, a puny and pathetic 100Mbps, which had been available in Tokyo and other eastern parts of the country.

Must cost an arm and a leg, right? Actually, the price has been cut from the previous price by about 20 percent. That gigabit service will now cost you about $57 a month at current exchange rates.

By comparison, the fastest service you can get in the U.S. is Verizon's highest-tier FiOS plan, which promises maximum throughput of up to 50Mbps at a cost of $140 a month (if you also subscribe to Verizon phone service), and that's if you live in an area where it's offered. The gigabit KDDI service, like FiOS, also uses fiber optic technology to pump out such blazing speeds.

Why can't we get cheap, ultra-fast broadband in the States? Size is a big issue (as I've explored a bit in the past), as is government regulation in our telco industry. We're also saddled with some dated technology... but why can't some enterprising upstart roll out ultra-high-speed service in a few select cities in the U.S.? Japan is larger than any metro area in the States, after all, and KDDI can wire the entire country.

Might I suggest anyone looking to experiment with $60 gigabit service in the States start in San Francisco? KTHXBYE