Google Seeks New Fiber to Meet Bandwidth Demands
Google’s reported interest in laying a new trans-Pacific underwater fiber optic cable is the most prominent sign that, after a six-year hiatus, companies are starting to build massive conduits for internet data.
After the market collapsed in 2001, telcos stopped laying new cables. With a glut of capacity on the market, Google bought “dark fiber” — unused fiber-optic cable connections — at discount rates. Google won’t disclose how much fiber capacity it owns, but experts concur that it is a significant amount.
Now, with internet usage surging, telcos and assorted consortia are once again investing in undersea infrastructure.
While Google would not offer specifics on the U.S.-to-Asia connection, known at this point as Unity, it did confirm its interest in undersea cable, saying in a statement that “additional infrastructure for the internet is good for users and there are a number of proposals to add a Pacific submarine cable.”
Indeed, all indications are that we’re on the verge of some very large investments, both in terms of new cables and upgrades, says Eric Schoonover, a senior analyst at TeleGeography.
His research firm notes that trans-Pacific cable is particularly prized at the moment for two reasons: The dearth of existing undersea cable in the region and the huge swell in bandwidth demand coming out of Asia.
