It's been rumored before and now it's being rumored again: Google may be working on a project to create its own global Internet Protocol network, a private Internet controlled by the massive Web
company, according to sources who are negotiating with the search giant. Just last month, Google listed the following job posting in the U.S. and Britain: "Strategic Negotiator candidates with
experience in...identification, selection, and negotiation of dark fibre contracts both in metropolitan areas and over long distances as part of development of a global backbone network." The "dark
fibre" in the posting refers to the fiber optic cables laid down by American Web companies during the tech boom in the late nineties. After the bust in 2001, the installation process for many of these
networks was left incomplete. Google could effectively purchase its own readymade Internet network by purchasing this dark fiber. Further evidence supporting this: late last year, the company
purchased a 270,000-square-foot telecom interconnection facility in New York. It is believed that the company plans to power its dark fiber system from here. Investment firms have also hinted at
Google's potential move into the hardware business--which should include $100 Google PCs. Last year, Bear Sterns said the company "could be experimenting with new hardware endeavors that could
significantly change potential future applications by Google, creating another advantage for Google over its competitors." The firm added that its potential as a hardware company is currently
under-appreciated by investors. Content providers told London's
Business Times they are currently negotiating with Google to deliver content to the company's alternative Internet service,
distributed through its new PC device called the Google Cube.
Read the whole story at U.K. Business Times »