As you may recall, earlier this year the ruler of the interwebs announced their plans to build and test an uber-fast broadband network to some 50,000 to 500,000 people. Just this past week Google has announced its plans to beta-test the uber-fast network at Stanford University for some very lucky 850 faculty- and staff-owned homes on the campus.
Soon Stanford's residential subdivision will be equipped with internet speeds capable of 1 gigabit per second--or more than 100 times faster than what most people have access to today. The Googs picked Stanford for its “test” because the university is close to the Google campus and Google engineers will have fast and easy access to the location so that they can monitor the beta. Stanford was also open to Google testing the new fiber technologies on their streets, and Stanford's residential section is small and makes a good fit for beta-deployment.
Google plans to use this beta test as grounds for learning and making any changes needed before the big launch to a community or multiple communities of up to 500,000 people. Ever since Google announced plans to build the large fiber-network surfaced, the company has been experimenting with new fiber technologies. Google plans to announce the winning community (or communities) by the end of the year.
I don't know about you, but I think some certain Stanford faculty and staff are about to get really happy. What's your next move Google? You've already got Google Video, Chome, Picasa, Voice, TV, Android, an upcoming netbook OS, and a huge plethora of other services and products. Next up: Google Space Shuttle!
[Engadget and Slashdot via Google]
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