WASHINGTON - Google Inc. plans to build a handful ofexperimental, ultra-fast broadband networks around the country toconnect consumers to the Internet and ensure that tomorrow's systemscan keep up with online video and other advanced applications thatthe search company will want to deliver.
The Google project, announced Wednesday, is also intended toprovide a platform for outside developers to create and try cutting-edge applications that will require far more bandwidth than today'snetworks offer.
The company said its testbed fiber-optic networks will deliverspeeds of 1 gigabit per second to as many as 500,000 Americans. Thesystems will be many times faster than the networks that connectmost U.S. homes to the Internet today, at speeds typically rangingfrom 3 megabits to 20 megabits per second.
Google envisions systems that will enable consumers to download ahigh-definition, full-length feature film in less than five minutes,allow rural health clinics to send 3-D medical images over the Weband let students collaborate with classmates around the world whilewatching live 3-D video of a university lecture.
"Our goal is to trial new technologies and figure out what kindsof applications you can send over these big pipes," said RichardWhitt, Google's Washington-based counsel for telecommunications andmedia. "There may be next-generation applications that are beingheld back right now."
Whitt said Google isn't looking to compete head-to-head with thephone and cable TV companies. Rather, he said, Google hopes itsproject will help create advanced broadband applications and networktechnology.
- The Associated Press
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