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Google Entering ISP Business With Superfast Fiber Service

by Terrence O'Brien on February 10, 2010 at 03:10 PM

Google Getting into the ISP Business With 100Gb Service
We don't have to tell you about all the ways that Google has its hands in your life, both online and off. And, although yesterday's Google Buzz announcement is dominating the news cycle, the search giant made an announcement today that we think is far more important: Google is entering the ISP business.

Apparently, the company doesn't intend to truly challenge the major players like Verizon or AT&T, but rather views its new high-speed fiber network as an "experiment." Google has been snatching up large chunks of abandoned "dark fiber" (fiber-optic cable that has been run but not activated) since early 2005. Now, it appears that Google plans to connect this vast network to consumers' homes in an attempt to force other service providers to drop prices, boost speeds, and adhere to network neutrality principles.

The new service is expected to offer speeds of up to one gigabit-per-second (about 100 times faster than your average cable modem connection). In the coming months, Google will identify the areas that will first see the service, which, it says, will be offered at "competitive prices."

To that end, you might want to head here to nominate your neighborhood. [From: Official Google Blog]

Tags: dark fiber, DarkFiber, fiber, fiber to the home, FiberToTheHome, google, isp, ISpy, top

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