Google ISP? Google Fiber Network To Bring Ultra-Fast Internet

First Google was a search engine, then a social network--now how about a Google ISP?

Google plans to experiment with building ultra-fast fiber networks that would deliver high-speed broadband to users.

ReadWriteWeb explains,

The company wants to offer fiber-to-the-home connections that will reach 1 gigabit per second. For now, Google plans to first roll out these connections to around 50,000 people, with the potential to reach over 500,000 people at a later stage.

Why is Google making a move into broadband?

MacObserver speculates,

For starters, they may be trying to further distract Microsoft. After all, Google is in the content delivery business. Google's ownership of a major and possibly growing network would concern Microsoft.

Another motive is to put Comcast and AT&T on notice that Google might be able to muster the muscle to seriously compete with them, and in doing so, enforce their own agenda for how a major fiber network should be operated.

The exact location for the initial Google fiber network hasn't been determined yet. Want to be the first to have Google as your ISP (internet service provider)? Nominate your neighborhood to receive the Google fiber network here.

See Google's official video introduction to the Google fiber network experiment below.

WATCH:

Comments

[Lex10]

07:53 PM on 03/13/2010

I'm in/

[lvdragonlady]

02:56 PM on 02/11/2010

Please let this happen, the cable industry will be so ticked off they will not know what to do with themselves.
Google, if you are still looking for a test city, I say Reno, NV.........not too big, not too small and a great place to start this project.

[j86jws]

08:40 AM on 02/11/2010

In all honesty I hope this isn't some kind of advertising sham and Google is successful. I have both DSL and Cable at the moment, and I want my Internet speeds so fast my modems glow in the dark and I can't afford a T1 line (I'm talkin' about just a home network).

[TazExprez]

03:00 AM on 02/11/2010

I currently have Verizon FiOS 35/20 (actually 34/25 for me) and it's excellent. This Google service seems even better and I can't wait.

[gjohnthehorrible]

01:22 PM on 02/12/2010

I love my Verizon FIOS service.

[krayonc]

01:03 PM on 03/14/2010

arrrrrrghhhh.....I'm so jealous of your Verizon FIOS. I've been signed up for the "when Verizon comes to your area" notification email for almost 3 years now.

Make your move Google, I'm there.

[NevadaLib]

11:50 PM on 02/10/2010

this would be a win for the consumer. I would immediately break my contract and sign up

[Patriot til Death]

09:50 PM on 02/10/2010

Our Constitution requires the government to fund the postal service. The intent of our Founding Fathers was to make sure that we had an infrastructure of communications throughout the country.

At the time, the telephone or internet were hardly a thought but they are the modern-day forms of communications. E-mail has practically replaced snail mail and VoIP is fast taking over landlines.

I'm surprised the federal government hasn't looked at these modern-day forms of communication as extensions of our Founding Fathers' constitutional intent.

I wouldn't have a problem if Obama wanted to create jobs laying fiber and 4G cells all over the country. I have a problem with just a handful of carriers with little competition. The government could fund the infrastructure with tax dollars and we could have hundreds of companies provide services at a much more competitive price for businesses while individuals could use the service for practically nil.

My local monopoly phone company is Verizon and they use to charge me for not using their long distance service. I never thought I would live to see a day when a company could charge me for not using their service but they are the local monopoly phone company, so what are you going to do? They get nothing from me now.

[Hypnotron]

09:28 PM on 02/10/2010

This could be Google's response to the looming threat of net neutrality being destroyed.

[ramblingjohnny]

06:55 PM on 02/10/2010

Good news it not April first! Remember the water pipe ISP that Google "Launched" on April fools a few years ago! lolll

[FooFighter007]

05:45 PM on 02/10/2010

I hope Google does serious damage to AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and Microsoft.

[LyssaBarnes]

08:29 PM on 02/10/2010

I second that.

[Patriot til Death]

09:29 PM on 02/10/2010

I third, fourth and fifth it.

[wilray]

09:16 PM on 02/10/2010

I think they should pick Seattle just to stick it to Microsoft, and fortunately I live in Seattle.

[shimari]

01:40 AM on 02/11/2010

My prediction is Ann Arbor.

[cc82]

08:35 AM on 02/11/2010

Oh does Microsoft provide broadband in Seattle?

[Gover]

05:12 PM on 02/10/2010

God damn can they finally just eliminate the Xbps unit forever and just say XB/s? Please? Damn.

[Rickter]

05:03 PM on 02/10/2010

My money is that Google will be the first on out with the George Jetson flying car and Rosie the Robot we were all promised in the 70's.


Build a better mousetrap.

[pflickner]

09:30 PM on 02/10/2010

Considering that other countries have faster access than we do -- and didn't we invent the durned thing? -- it's about time. And leave it to Google to bypass the luddites who are only interested in charging us based on the bandwidth we can afford.

[wilray]

04:56 PM on 02/10/2010

I when Google puts out an announcement like this. It means they definitely have something in the works and it means that everyone else has to step up their game. When it was rumored that Google was coming out with Gmail with a gigabyte of storage, all the major online email companies had to respond. At that time most of the companies were not offering more than 25 mb of free storage. They would have have lost all their customers to Gmail had they stayed at that amount. By time Gmail went Beta (2 gigs I think) all the other major players had upped their offerings. If Google can up the bandwidth a hundredfold and bring it in at current broadband rates, then all the other carriers will have to step up their game. From the video it sounds like Google may help them do that. Hopefully, the broadband can also be rolled out to the rural areas. This amount of additional bandwidth will also impact television and telecommunications.. Having that amount of speed probably also means a higher bandwidth threshold. I just learned that my Comcast bandwidth is capped at 250gb per month. This is a lot, but I think it was unlimited before. At the speeds, Google is proposing the threshold would have to be higher. The bandwidth that Google is proposing would make online gaming seamless, and there it would definitely benefit medical applications. It would also benefit Google apps.

[shockaslim]

04:33 PM on 02/10/2010

This has to be illegal.

[LyssaBarnes]

08:29 PM on 02/10/2010

Comcast/NBC should be illegal.

[Patriot til Death]

09:32 PM on 02/10/2010

If you make the right campaign contributions to the right politicians, nothing is illegal for long. The Mob has nothing the on the government.

[StansDad]

04:20 PM on 02/10/2010

wow! sweet! cool!

no pricetag.

not interested

[wilray]

05:06 PM on 02/10/2010

Google says:

"The final price has not yet been determined, but we intend to offer service at a competitive price."

Of course, if you are the only one to offer a service who are you competing against.

[StansDad]

05:21 PM on 02/10/2010

you can get fiber connections from other companies for 150-200 per month or something crazy like that, but by no means can you get this (likely BS) claim of 1G. However fiber connections are rare

[brt929]

04:14 PM on 02/10/2010

The more choices the better.

I have to say, I haven't gone back IE or Firefox, since I installed Google Chrome on my computer. It is so much faster than those two browsers.

My money is on Google.

[BlackQueen40]

04:35 PM on 02/11/2010

Oh, I'm with you on Google Chrome! I love it!! And now that they are offering add-ons, two of which I had missed greatly, but now have, I'm in love with Chrome even more, if that's possible. IE & Firefox were soooo slow on my laptop but Chrome flies! I hope Google succeeds with this plan. I'd love to have that kind of blazing speed.