Google To Test 1Gbps Internet At Stanford's Campus

Earlier in the year, Google made clear that they wanted to get in the business of providing Internet service, not just service search on the Internet. A ton of cities made their case to Google in order to be selected for one of the first rollouts, but Google has still yet to make their decision on that. In fact, an update today provided by the company states that they're hoping to have that community or communities selected by the end of the year.


But you won't have to wait that long to start hearing reports about how great (or not so great) Google's fiber-based ISP is. That's because the company has landed a deal with Stanford University that will make it available to the university’s Residential Subdivision, a group of approximately 850 faculty- and staff-owned homes on campus. Through the trial, Google plans to offer Internet at speeds of up to 1Gbps, with plans to start breaking ground early next year.

Google's goal is to build to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people, but this trial will help them ensure that they're actually ready to take it outside of beta. Stanford's campus is close to Google's campus, and that was a big part of the choice. Google will be able to receive feedback from just across town and tweak things quickly in order to make improvements.


One small step for man, one giant step for the future of the Internet.