Google: Soon laying cable across an ocean near you?
An Australian trade news service reports today that search engine giant Google plans a multi-terabit “Unity” cable to span the Pacific Ocean in time for launch in 2009.
Communications Day reports that Google will join a cable project that other companies have been developing for several months. Some see the project dovetailing well with Google’s infrastructure investment strategy in dark fiber and data centers, and its interest in wireless spectrum bidding.
Google is keeping mum on its Unity plans, with spokesman Barry Schnitt telling CommDay: “Additional infrastructure for the Internet is good for users and there are a number of proposals to add a Pacific submarine cable.”
From Saul Hansell at New York Times’ Bits:
Dave Burstein, the editor of DSLPrime, who tipped me off to the CommDay report, explained even though there is a lot of unused fiber capacity across the Pacific, there are few players, and prices are seen as unusually high. He adds that there is a glut of cable laying ships, so the cost of building a new link to Asia has come down.
This new move puts Google in competition again with Verizon, which has fought Google’s approach to the new wireless spectrum auction in the United States. Verizon is part of a group of Asian Carriers that is building a $500 million cable between the United States and China.
From a users standpoint - internet in Australia feels like UK in the 20th century. Download caps and extreme latency. If Google really manages to bring 21st century internet to Australia, it could just be the ticket ride… however, the market down-under is darn small….