Google building global Google Net?

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 22 September 2005 10:00

Business IT - Networking

According to US website, Light Reading, Google is building a network so massive that it could effectively be building its own private Internet.

Light Reading says it has learned that Google is well underway at putting the pieces together. "It is accumulating hundreds of thousands of square feet of carrier hotel space that could host giant server farms, buying up fibre, and issuing large RFPs for DWDM and ethernet-based telecom equipment that could total in the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to multiple sources at carriers and equipment vendors."

Light Reading said its sources had suggested that, by building a core of transport technologies and peering directly to the world's leading incumbent telcos and PTTs, Google could end up securing and controlling distribution of much of the world's Internet traffic.

Light Reading noted that Crains New York Business had reported that Google acquired the rights to 270,000 square feet of space (about 30,000 square metres) at 111 8th avenue in Manhattan, which is a large telecom interconnection facility. "That space is expected to be populated with telecom equipment and server farms running Google's search and other applications such as GoogleTalk," it said.