This is huge. This is bigger than Buzz, bigger than the Nexus One and bigger than Wave. If Google’s trials are successful, they could seriously reshape the standard for the speeds at which Americans access the Internet, specifically around 1 gigabit per second over fiber connections.
From the post:
Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone. Here are some specific things that we have in mind:
Next generation apps: 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.
New deployment techniques: We’ll test new ways to build fiber networks, and to help inform and support deployments elsewhere, we’ll share key lessons learned with the world.
Openness and choice: We’ll operate an “open access” network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we’ll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way.
Guess this settles the question of why Google has been buying up all that dark fiber over the last few years. OK, tech pundits, in the wake of this announcement, do any of you seriously care if Buzz is a flop or not?1 Stop opining about social networking sites and “power of social media” (a phrase guaranteed to earn you a punch in the groin from me) and start thinking big.
- For the record, I hope Buzz does well, because it’s promoting some very interesting open standards that could revolutionize they way publishers and subscribers interact with each other.↩
