Sounds like LightSpeed to me.
Posted on 01/17/2005 1:06:22 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Is Google planning to build a global fiber optic network from scratch? And, if so, why?
The question has cropped up in light of a recent job posting on the search engine giant's Web site seeking experts in the field.
"Google is looking for Strategic Negotiator candidates with experience in...(i)dentification, selection, and negotiation of dark fiber contracts both in metropolitan areas and over long distances as part of development of a global backbone network," the posting reads, in part.
Dark fiber refers to fiber optic cable that's already been laid, but is not yet in use. Thousands of miles of dark fiber is available in the United States, but there have been few takers due to the high costs of making it operational.
A Google spokesman declined to elaborate on the job posting. Still, it raises some tantalizing thoughts, including the long-shot chance that the company is laying the groundwork to jump into the telecommunications business. The posting was reported by Light Reading, a Web site that tracks the optical networking industry.
If Google were to build its own global or national fiber network, the project would likely cost billions of dollars and take years to implement, an investment that would be hard to justify based on the networking needs of most companies. Renting "lit" fiber from carriers is generally a cheaper, and therefore preferred, way to go.
Google is thought to be a shrewd judge of computing value, having built its widely-admired infrastructure on the back of low-budget server clusters. At the same time, curious geeks have long pondered the apparent mismatch between its service demands and the reputed scale of its computing resources.
Dark motivations
A handful of dark-fiber projects have been gaining momentum recently, mostly involving large consortia of private companies, universities and medical facilities, sometimes with heavy government backing. Best-known is Internet2's national LambaRail project, which has bought up some 28,000 route miles of dark fiber through its FiberCo subsidiary, according to Steve Corbato, Internet2's director of network initiatives.
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"We view this, in a sense, as exploiting a moment in time," Corbato said. The telecom boom of the late 1990s led to a glut in fiber assets, and the subsequent bust put undeveloped fiber on the market at bargain basement prices. "The sense of urgency in acquiring these assets has been tied to the unique opportunity that's been presented...The spot market for fiber is already going up, and most people expect these assets will get gobbled up."
Corbato says he has noticed signs of increasing interest in dark fiber from private enterprise of late, most notably among large financial institutions. Meanwhile, in December, cable giant Comcast signed a $100 million-plus deal to buy long-haul dark fiber to build out its network.
A Level3 spokesman declined to comment when told of Google's job posting.
Corbato also declined to speculate about Google's plans. But he said fiber optic expertise is a natural fit for a company like Google.
"If I were the CIO of an international information technology company, I would think that having these types of skills would be a natural to have within the organization."
This is great. I'm all for capitalism and modernizing the existing infrastructure.
Google appears to be the new century's Microsoft or IBM.
Any ideas about what's going on?
Unlike Microsoft, you're not forced to use Google.
Google has been acquiring major players from Sun in the past year. They definately have bigger plans than just being a search engine.
Can't make money being strictly a search engine.
Nobody is forced to use Microsoft. No one ever has been forced to purchase Microsoft.
A day seldom goes by on FR when we are not told that Macs are better or Linux is better and safer. Now Macs are being priced competitively.
They're called pissing matches.
Now Macs are being priced competitively.
I would think so, the overall price of a computer has dropped quite considerably. Whether you buy a PC or a Mac.
I don't have an insiders view on this one, I do however deal with telco guys pretty frequently. Fiber is being deployed in the local loop, not fast, sort of slow and plodding but I think it's just a matter of time before we have gigabit speeds just about everywhere. Buying dark fiber right now may just be a good investment if you've got the capital. ComCast here in northing NJ is quietly upgrading everyone to 6mbit cable. Some of the telcos are upgrading DSLs from 1-2mbit to 3-6-9mbit. Looks to me as if the guy holding both ends of a fiber line from one town to the next could be a big winner when demand arrives in the next 5+ years.
Google could also be looking to provide VOIP which will continue to grow. 5 Cents a minute on all long distance is a bargain that most people don't even know exists yet. It's a big step though and they don't have the assets.
They probably also want to charge for access.
We are in the 21st century and business models yet to be are still being worked out.
Thanks for the info.
Maybe the Telco revolution is finally starting to happen.
I tell you. A few years ago when google first showed up I wanted to buy in. The next best was called www.alltheweb.com but google was way better.
Google blew away alta vista.
But google was private and not even commercial.
I wonder what ever happened to web crawler. Early on that and Yahoo on the akebono server were where it was at.
And gopher. Remember gopher?
Sounds like LightSpeed to me.
Pure speculation on my part, but first, if Google believes the "dark fiber" is dirt cheap, then it may make sense..It's similar to the airline pioneers staking out routes. Once they have it, then regulatory conditions might make a Google with dark fiber capacity untouchable in a hostile takeover...
Good discussion of what dark fiber is......
Hey! Tell 'em ta git in touch with Darth Vader!!!
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