Google buying up Dark-Fibre?

It certainly sounds dramatic.

[Big_Dug]

[news.com.com...]

/. [it.slashdot.org]

...dark fiber contracts both in metropolitan areas and over long distances as part of development of a global backbone network.

A global backbone network?
Are they trying to takeover the internet or just sync their datacentres faster?

BD

[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 5:29 pm (utc) on Jan. 17, 2005]
[edit reason] added links [/edit]

[walkman]

"if Google buys long distance fiber backbone
their timing couldn't be better. "
actually a 2-3 years ago would've been much better with all the bankruptcy sales. They could've bought Global Crossing (with 100,000 miles of fiber optic cable) for next to nothing. However, it's still a good time. Way to much fiber and not enough traffic.

[edited by: walkman at 5:42 am (utc) on Jan. 24, 2005]

[garyr_h]

Hmm... I like all of those ideas mentioned. To have a Skype-type online telephony from google which had about the same price (or cheaper?) services would be a huge move. And I would enjoy having cheaper calls and better connection while talking to others on different parts of the world.

As for the offline library, that would be great. It would impact everyone who owns a business within the US (and of course others around the world once it hits there). Being able to type in what you want and then coming up with different markets within your area code (or around it..) would help many save money and find the products we want that are near by..

[larryhatch]

Hi walkman:

I'm sure they have mathematically trained accountants looking at all angles.
Two years ago was probably cheaper, but they have to factor in two years of interest too.
The bean counters look for the "knee" of the price curve and recommend buying just before
the sharpest increases if I have that right. -Larry

[walkman]

"Two years ago was probably cheaper, but they have to factor in two years of interest too."

or...most likely they didn't know what they were going to do. I mean who knows what business they will get in two years from now? If it was At&t or Verizon maybe, but Google is not (at least wasn't) a telecom company.

IF this is true, they have to buy today with today's prices. The web is very fluid, you have to adapt and long term plans don't really work. A few years ago I remember when web advertising was way down and Y! started to charge for things because they had no choice.

If they wanted to do this two years ago, they would have bought the fiber and done the software 3-6 months later.

[bears5122]

Does anyone else think they are thinking a bit over their head? I know they are a large company with plenty of money to play around with, but they certainly aren't a company I would consider "huge". They are still warped by major players like Microsoft.

Google could be making themselves very vulnerable if they aren't careful with the capital they have built. They seem to have all these big ideas, but they don't even make a good search engine anymore.