Need For Speed: Google To Trial 100x Faster Broadband

Will Google (NSDQ:GOOG) be an ISP now, too? Google on Wednesday said it is planning trial runs for high-speed, fiber-optic broadband Internet access that Google says will top out at 1 gigabit per second (Gbps).

According to Google, it will pilot the broadband in various locations around the U.S., with the goal being to build better fiber networks and open them up to "killer app" development.

"We'll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-home connections. Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone," wrote Google product managers James Kelly and Minnie Ingersoll in a Wednesday post to the Google blog.

According to Ingersoll and Kelly, the broadband project has three specific goals in mind: the creation of bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" made by developers, the use of new techniques for building more efficient fiber networks, and the enabling of multiple service providers on an "open access network."

"Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve the high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done," wrote Kelly and Ingersoll. "We don't think we have the answers -- but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."

Google has not yet identified the locations where it plans to test, and Kelly and Ingersoll wrote in the blog post that Google has put out a request for information to identify potential test sites. The search giant plans to collect responses until March 26 and announce target communities later in the year.