Mountain View, Calif. -- Google has unveiled plans to test an ultra high-speed Internet service that the company said is more than 100 times faster than most broadband connections currently offered by cable and telecom providers. The company said that it will launch the service in a small number of trial locations across the U.S., selling it at what it called a "competitive price" to as many as 500,000 people at the outset. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski hailed the project, saying that it would "provide an American testbed for the next generation of innovative, high-speed Internet apps, devices and services." As a first step, Google has begun soliciting information from local governments and private citizens in a bid to gauge interest. The company said that it plans to operate an open-access network giving users a choice of multiple service providers. The goal of the project, Google said, is to "experiment and learn." "Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done," the company wrote in its blog. "We don't think we have all the answers -- but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/think-big-with-gig-our-experimental.html
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/think-big-with-gig-our-experimental.html