Google’s 1 Gbps network : an influx of candidates

Google’s project for a 1 Gbps fibre optic network in the USA has seen impressive feedback, with more than 1100 municipals putting their communities forward as potential candidates. With such a diverse range to select from, Google will provide an answer of their deployment scope by the end of the year.

Last month Google announced that they would be launching an experimental super high speed network in the United States, calling on municipals interested in participating in the pilot of the FTTH connections (Fibre To The Home) allowing for speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second to indicate their interest. For Google, a large test bed of close to half a million users (50 000 users to begin with) is being searched for.

Google’s call for candidates closed on the 26th of March 2010, with their offer not passing without interest. The company has announced that they have received more than 1 100 community responses and more than 194 000 individual requests.

With the aim of seducing Google, Topeka in Kansas decided to change their name for the month of March to "Google, Kansas – The fibre optic capital". This was one of the original implemented ideas which drew media attention, but there were certainly plenty of others. Google was for example notified about a challenge laid down by the mayor of Duluth, Minnesota who dove into the glacial waters of Lake Superior... although we wonder what this has to do with fibre optics.

While these initiatives attracted the attention of Google, it has to be wondered if it will tip things in their favour. The answer will be provided at the end of the year: "In the coming months, we will study all propositions to determine where we will build our network. Once we have selected potential area’s, we will visit the sites, visit the local representatives and consult with third party organisations."

For Google, it is already clear that Americans "want better and faster Internet access". With their experimental network, for which no subscription price has as yet been released, Google has the aim of "experimenting with new ways of delivering better and faster internet to everyone", to see how developers and users take advantage of such speeds.