27 Jul 2012

Google Fiber Launched

Google has announced that it is launching its own fibre network in September 2012.

The aim of Google Fiber is to provide high speed Internet access. The company claims that it will provide connection speeds that are 100 times faster than today's average broadband connection. It will offer symmetric gigabit speeds for the first time.

Google also announced that as part of the deployment it will launch a new TV service called Google Fiber TV. This will provide hundreds of channels of television as well as giving on demand programing, interactive search capability, and advanced DVR functionality.

Initially the system will be rolled out in Kansas City in the USA, to homes that are in the central districts of the city. The aim will be to extend this further to the remained of the city which has over two million inhabitants.

The launch of Google Fiber is Google’s first entry into Internet provision and television distribution. It comes after a number of years of experimentation and some trial schemes from which they obviously learnt many lessons.

In terms of the television offering, Google Fiber TV has a distinct advantage over established competition because it uses an all IP technology. This allows Google Fiber TV to provide much greater levels of interactivity and many more capabilities and features.

In providing services via Google Fiber TV, the company has signed up a many television channels. Discovery and a number of others are there, but currently they do not have the same level of choice as some of the existing cable providers. However as the system is deployed, it is likely that other television channels will want to sign up to maximise their revenues by accessing all the Google customers.

Google Fiber is a new venture for Google. However it fits in with its strategy of not just providing search, but also looking to providing Internet related services. Seeing many services moving to mobile, they bought Motorola Mobility, and now with Google Fiber they are moving into the fixed services.

All of this confirms that Google wants to move away from revenues built only on Internet advertising related to its search engine. As a result, Google is becoming a far more dominant player in the whole telecommunications arena.

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