Google may be on to something big with its fibre network. The search-engine giant is experimenting with a network that uses fibre-to-the-home technology to grant users incredibly fast internet speeds – up to 1 gigabit each second in some cases. This fibre network, if rolled out across the world, could really change communications and offers a lot of scope for innovations. Users could take advantage of these fast speeds to quickly download films or to stream images as part of university lectures or business consultations. This combination of speed and the utility it brings means the experimental network poses a threat to ISPs as we know them.
Google announced the fibre network towards the start of 2010 and has been testing and refining its creation by offering it to relatively small groups of users across select parts of the U.S. The locations were chosen based on the potential for fast internet present in those places and on the services already available to internet users.
Google hopes that the fibre network will bring with it a number of advantages for end users. Firstly, users will enjoy the fruits of the labours of net developers, who Google foresees will use the fiber network to create new services and apps that take advantage of the high speeds offered. Google also wants to share what it learns through developing its network with the world. The internet giant doesn’t want to be viewed as an ISP either, instead pledging that the fibre network will remain open access, meaning users can choose a service provider as they please. Google doesn’t seem to want to predict the exact potential of their network, instead concentrating on the scope of what they’re creating and how it could enhance communications.
Google’s desire to push what the internet can do and offer and its commitment to transparency along the way, could be a big draw for many technologists. Firstly, start-up businesses and developers with an entrepreneurial side may find Google’s fibre network especially appealing. There is plenty of potential for designing something new in terms of internet services with the backing of the network’s owner. Previously, these developers may have been put off innovation by the ISP or designed services that bypassed the ISP, whereas now Google is actively courting entrepreneurs and innovators. Services that are especially reliant on broadband – and fast broadband at that – will also likely find the idea of Google’s fibre network attractive, since it should be able to guarantee the kind of speeds these service designers will be looking for.
If Google’s fibre network becomes more widespread in the future, it could change the way in which network owners make money, as Google would profit from ad sales rather than charging for users to access their network. Google’s desire to remain transparent – for example about their network costs – and to welcome innovation may also appeal to internet regulators, for example the Federal Communications Commission, who may have concern about how transparent ISPs, such as those that provide pay as you go mobile broadband services, are being.
Google’s fibre network presents a threat to ISPs if it can create a more transparent online marketplace when it comes to costs and pricing, particularly for pay as you go mobile broadband services. The threat would be greater if developers get on board and design services that would be difficult to run on the networks of these ISPs. While the fibre network is unlikely to initially push ISPs from the market, over time it could change not only the services we access over the internet, but also how transparent network providers are.
About the Author:
The above article is composed and edited by Rosette Summer. She is associated with many technology and designing communities including Broadband Expert as their freelance writer and adviser. In her free time she writes articles related to technology, mobile applications, etc. Her latest article is pay as you go mobile broadband.
