Google today announced that it is in the planning stages of its own high-speed broadband network, and will begin testing that network in locations around the United States in the near future.
Using scads of dark fiber it has purchased in years past, the pilot program will offer 1Gbps fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections to 50,000 users, with the possibility of up to 500,000 subscribers.
In deploying such a network, Google is looking to develop a test platform for next-generation applications and deployment mechanisms.
“We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it’s creating new bandwidth-intensive ‘killer apps’ and services, or other uses we can’t yet imagine,” said Google’s announcement. “We’ll test new ways to build fiber networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, we’ll share key lessons learned with the world.”
As noted, Google is also looking to use the trial run to gain insight into the development and deployment of fiber networks, which it will later share with the world.
Finally, Google wants to have an open access network, which will give users a choice between service providers. It promises to manage the network in an “open and transparent way.”
Communities interested in being guinea pigs for Google’s new FTTH experiment can go here to suggest that their towns be part of the trial. Submissions will be accepted through March 26, and Google will announce where they will be testing their new network later this year.
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