Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) — Google Inc. is planning to build high-speed fiber-optic broadband networks in the U.S. to offer Internet speeds that are more than 100 times faster than what Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. sell today.
The company, owner of the world’s most popular Web-search engine, said today it will offer the service at a “competitive price” to at least 50,000 people and potentially as many as 500,000. Google wants to use the networks for applications that consume lots of bandwidth.
Google’s jump into the market may pressure AT&T, Verizon and Comcast Corp. to bolster their high-speed networks, said Mike Jude, an analyst at researcher Frost & Sullivan in Denver. The company already offers a wireless network in Mountain View, California, and is an investor in Clearwire Corp., which provides Internet access using a technology called WiMax.
Full story: Google to Build Network in Challenge to AT&T, Verizon (Update3) – BusinessWeek