Google will build 1Gbps fiber networks to the home
After building its own browser, its own operating system, its own mobile OS, its own smartphone, its own DNS service, and what amounts to its own private internet, Google is now building its own ultra-high-speed fiber networks to American homes. With a blog post Wednesday morning, the search giant/world power announced it will …
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Vertical Separation
If Google are big and ugly enough to end the cosy duopoly (or triopoly, or whatever it happens to be in your personal corner of the planet, dear reader) between major telcos and bring us the kind of network connection that can be built by putting geeks instead of beancounters in charge - good luck to them.
The only thing I'm cautious about is letting other ISPs use their infrastructure. No matter how you slice and dice it, that sort of arrangement never works. Vertical separation is the only way - if you provide infrastructure for use by a third party service provider, you don't provide the service yourself. It's too easy to give yourself an unfair advantage over the third party operators - in fact it's practically impossible to tell whether you're doing it or not. The only alternative is to be completely vertically integrated, and not to let any other ISPs in.
Oh, another thing. Hello Google, this is Australia, a Mr Kevin Rudd would like to talk to you. He promised to build fibre to the home for 95% of Australians just before the last election. He wanted it to create a level playing field for telecomms but the partially government owned telco wanted to use it to maintain their monopoly so he's turned it into a "non-core promise". Why don't you come in and swipe the contract from under their noses? And refuse to censor the net while you're at it. Yes, he's here, hold the line please.
@won't happen anytime soon
Tell that to the asshole telco that put a fiber box on our easement without regard to our ingress/egress.
But bless the evil bastard Google for trying to nudge broadband in the US. Maybe they should have promised to no good.
Yeah, plenty of bandwidth
The technology Google will probably be using is called NGOA (Next Generation Optical Access). This is a FTTH technology that will provide 1 Gbps dedicated to each subscriber.
Mine's the one with the gigabit interface in the pocket.
@jake
Sure, but where do you see articles about other ISPs doing deep packet inspection at El Reg? Except for that one exception of course...
Is this real gigabit?...
...or the 250mbit-in-practice gigabit I see day in day out?
Google vs Cable
Well by my rough calculations that level of service from our local cable provider (COX) would cost me about $46,000,000 per month.
This is hilarious
Hmm, let me see - here's Google threatening 1Gbps, meanwhile us in the UK have got BT rolling out 20Mbps, with Vermin at 50Mpbs and trialling 200Mbps. Big deal
My response would be "never mind the US - that's easy - how about coming to the digital 3rd world?" Let's be honest, the farce over Phorm have proved that uk.gov are a big push over, so DLM and his cohorts in the Dept of BERR are likely to smile on whatever Google want to do - carte blanche.
Okay, a cynic would be very, very afraid that Google seem to be taking more and more of the 'net - surely there's few areas that they're not involved with these days - Google brand switches, routers etc can't be that far away.
That said, if they can do 100Mbps for UKP25pm then I'll sign in a heartbeat - heck, 50Mbps for UKP30 would have me reaching for a pen!
Don't worry
This is mostly a PR stunt (maybe because the messed up the Buzz launch?). The investment to realize this network is HUUUUGE.
Paris - where has all my money gone?
Do not.....
attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. .....
....and we will control all that you see and hear.
Still no "google good" and "google evil" icons - not that we need the first one.
It will be fun and games...
...until the network becomes self aware, than what?
I'm heading for the hills.
And ultimately ....
When Google control 'everything' and 'everywhere', then what ?
I can foresee the laughable "Do no evil" sign being taken down now to a soundtrack of cackling, maniacal laughter.
I have to congratulate Google though; in striving towards what they want they've suckered the public into believing it's what they want, and are largely being left to steamroller over the world with hardly a word of complaint, caution or concern. It is a most impressive blitzkrieg.
Presumably those who feel so compelled to support Google in all they do would have little reservation about a Google Army established to protect the precious infrastructure you all have come to rely upon ? After all, what's good for Google is good for you, and vice-versa. Where does it all end ?
Those sitting in the Googleplex are probably wondering how they are managing to get away with it all. World domination never seemed to be this easy before.
It is said, in various forms, "all that is needed for evil to flourish is for good men to stand by and do nothing". No matter how many good men there may be, they are against the masses who would cheer evil ever onwards. Google, by design or good fortune, have got themselves a very good strategy.
Be very afraid.
Interesting times ahead.
Same old story though isn't it? Give something first offer everyone something they all "think" they need, while slowly building a cage around them.
So as I said a few months back, Google is intent on building it's own private internet, which will allow access to the older public one for a price. That price is yet to be fixed, ad revenue, a cash sum or something else?
Interesting times ahead for sure.
@Jason Bloomberg
I for one welcome our new Google Overlords.
Sorry, can't post on slashdot.org at work....
RE: And ultimately ....
I don't disagree with you but I think Google are trying to force the ISPs to act; the likes of BT running out when 100mbps is available or when Virgin is trialing 200mbps is a bit rubbish and in some parts of the US broadband isn't practical so this is a solution.
I have an issue with using Google services for everything under the sun and they've not made this yet; they are just talking about it. If they did make it; they would class it as Beta.
I don't really understand though what I've do with 1Gbps - I'd be pushing it hard to use 100mbps.
Thanks
Mike
So Google are doing a field trial
This is research, I don't blame them for it, it's not like the ISP's give a shit about improving speeds!
And the result will be...
...that it will cost them too much to build a high-speed Internet. Maybe in MV, so that Larry and Sergej can enjoy a faster Internet at home, but that's it. They can not afford it. Virtually no company can. Only governments could (but even they shy away from the massive investments needed.)
These comments...
...are getting dangerously close to "would you suck a dick for a million pounds?"
cost to Google
Wasn't there an Obama incentive package to improve the networks?
Sure there was, nobody wanted it because they were all happy little ISPs with no need to upset the status quo.
Maybe Google has it's single fiery eye on that pot.
As long as it's looking there tho, it wont notice our trepid adventurer sticking a token ring adapter into Mount Dooms central distributed processing control centre and saving middle Earth.
Piped and Fresh
Imagine, a 1gbps stream of adware, link spam and unsolicited marketing junk piped straight into your home!
<sarcasm>
i for one welcome our new "whiter than white teeth" and "how i got a really large pipe in just 3 weeks" peddling overlords!
</sarcasm>
Don't ever trust Google...
@Jason Bloomberg, I totally agree with everything you said.
As for Ammaross Danan post, not least of which this comment, "I'd trust them with my data more than the Gov't any day" ... In that case, frankly you are an overly trusting fool who should wake up!
You and people like you should be asking yourselves why is the government *allowing* Google to do all of this, because all governments are very focused on power and they know they are handing Google incredible power to profile the population. Therefore why are they allowing Google such power? What deals have been made in secret behind the scenes, that have *allowed* Google to be granted such incredible power.
Here's a hint, some ex-government people from government spy master organizations are some of the people on the board of directors and working for Google. (Plus just how ex-government are they really, in fact just how ex-government could they ever really become with their friends and contacts in very powerful places).
Google are also fast becoming the most Orwellian company in world history, therefore they *must* have very powerful friends in very high places, because if they didn't, these same powerful people would then be powerful enemies and powerful competitors who would move to shut down Google's business plan very fast, by changing the law to outlaw Google's chess moves. But the amazing speed Google is being *allowed* to move at and the overwhelming sense of Government silence at each new Google move, shows the Government is most definitely on Google's side.
You don't get such a powerful company being allowed to grow, without it attracting the attention of a lot of very powerful people. Once you have the potential to build a powerful company, you either work with the powerful people, or they shut you done. Thats simply the way power games are played and have been played for centuries.
Power inherently creates an asymmetric society resulting in the vast majority of people being constantly held down by the people in power. (That is the nature of power!). The only way out of the crowd is to work with the people in power or they will throw you back down again, so you end up back where you started.
Therefore Google are most definitely working with very powerful people behind the scenes. Publicly Google can never admit such connections, because they know it would risk generating considerable public concern and even public anger against them, which would act against them.
So make absolutely no mistake, very powerful people are behind Google in the same way they are behind everything that is powerful including Governments. You either work with the powerful people or they shut you down. That is the nature of power. Its been that way throughout history.
Now imagine giving such powerful people the power of Google to profile a population like never before and then just wait and see just how far they will be able to distort society into an ever more asymmetric society in their favor. Then imagine each year that asymmetry getting ever worse. That is the danger and that is our future! ... Welcome to our future!
Power always results in an asymmetric society because that is the nature of power.
in-competence
> governments are very focused on power and they know they are handing Google incredible power to profile the population
Actually speaking from the UK I think this idea unfairly credits the Government with the notion of them being competent. This has not been my experience of public sector bodies.
My guess is largely those in politics remain largely ignorant of the potential cyber-stasi like capabilities being developed by megalomaniac monopolistic info-tech corporations.
It will only perhaps be later when a truely dangerous ideologically motivated group (George W 3rd) seize control that the full implications of the failure to act now will become apparent.
The free software movement (ie software that protects your freedoms) needs to work harder to popularise use of superior de-centralised programmes that can be run by individuals thus removing the need for large centralised silos of data and communications mediated by adware corporations.
You fail to see the game they are playing...
Steve 116: "I think this idea unfairly credits the Government with the notion of them being competent"
I don't credit them with anything like competent. Thats your assumption. So you are using a straw man argument to argue against something I'm not talking about. Government is far more like a slime mold and a slime mold finds food with the minimum of anything even close to basic intelligence. A Government and a society are both like slime molds. They seek their goals with very little *need* for anything even close to intelligence or competence. All clambering over each other to get to the goal. The people in society who seek power over others will flock towards sources of power like Google. Its as simple as that. That doesn't require much thought.
We already have hundreds of examples of power hungry people each pursuing their own isolated power grabs, that are starting to consolidate into larger power grabs. Over time they will consolidate far more, that is inevitable and one of the most powerful focal points will be to consolidate around Google, as they are already a dominate force in data mining people.
Steve 116: "My guess is largely those in politics remain largely ignorant of the potential cyber-stasi like capabilities being developed by megalomaniac monopolistic info-tech corporations."
I don't care if say 90% of them are ignorant, its the 10% that are the danger and the fact is spying is an extremely old profession, so some in power in every generation are very conscious of their desire to spy on others, to give them an upper hand over others. People in power throughout history have used spying to bias more power their way and to consolidate their power over others. You fail to recognize this fact.
I could write pages, but whats the point. Anyone who still fails to understand the shear scale of problems we are getting into, has proven they fail to learn from the lessons of history. They don't want to read up on history, they don't want to see documentaries like The Corporation, they don't and can't imagine the shear ruthless attitudes of Narcissists and how driven they are, they fail to connect up just how bad its all becoming. So all I can say to these kinds of people is that there have always been very good reasons why throughout history, people all around the world have tried very hard to protect their privacy, liberty and freedom from state interference. Fail to learn from history and we walk right back into the same problems again, only this time, with the power of Google its going to become far worse. But don't worry they will keep you distracted from what is really happening, so you won't see if you don't try to see, at least long enough for them to get incredibly powerful, whilst they seek to move into positions to subjugate everyone else.
It's just...
... a matter of time before Google own the internet and all of the internet's users. Some people may not see this as a problem, and, I might agree to a point if it wasn't for one thing: Governments. If (when) Google do become a large global ISP providing internet access to everyone, it would make it very easy for the government to just step in and slap down some legislation to effectively give them full control of the internets.
Eric Shmidt is a member of Barack Obama's Council of Advisors for Science and Technology. Hmm, is that fish I smell?
Govt. vs Google
The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations have free speech rights like individuals and so can fund politicians for their election campaigns.
When your information is provided by google and your elected officials' campaigns are funded by google, how can anyone fight back.
Government of the people, by the google, for the google.
Google please come here
even a 10mb connection would be wonderful where I live (2mb max with 1mb being the norm)
Fibre to the box? a box would be a good start, currently its all on overhead cables attached to poles leaning at around 45 degrees
even tried setting up a second adsl connection (on a seperate line) only to be told that the dslam at the exchange is full and there are no plans to increase capacity
if there were to be a 1gb connection provided I would gladly share that connection with neighbours (I'm not greedy)
Seriously...
Forget the over bloated market that is America.. Britain is the new land of opportunity!
Bring your high speed internets here... where do I sign my soul away for some 1Gbps broadband...
I for one welcome our google overlords and their nexus phone..
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