We are all well aware of Google’s latest initiative to launch an experiment, to deploy fiber-to-home network, to provide Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. They have also published a RFP for the Cities to respond to .
There is a lot of speculation in the telecom industry related to this announcement. May be I am a little late in responding to this topic. But I was waiting for the heat to die down. It seems like it has not. I just saw this article in NYT, Courting Google, City Fathers jump to silliness. And this reaffirms my belief that this stunt launched by Google, termed as an experiment, will create a lot of pressure on the incumbent network providers. From people jumping into Lake Superior, to Google Fiber flavored ice creams – the reaction to this experiment reflects the frustration of the consumers, and also their high hopes in Google’s plan.
But the point to note is that – nowhere in their press release does Google say, that it intends expand this network across the country. They suggest that they will share their learning and help others grow this network. Thus reinforcing the pressure on the incumbents. I wonder what the Time Warners, Comcasts, Cablevisions and the SBCs are planning in response – no news on their end yet ?
Nevertheless, this contest is getting even more interesting, if only for the citizens who get to see their mayors act silly.
Tags: google, network infrastructure