Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Taketh:

Verso Technologies has announced a "carrier-grade applications filter" designed to block Skype but capable of blocking P2P messaging, streaming media and IM, according to an article by Doug Mohney in TheInquirer.net. ISPs don't like Skype because it increases traffic and gets in the way of them "monetizing" VOIP. I.e., it's free and people like it, hence it must die.

IP Media Monitor (free reg required) writes that Google is planning to build its own optical network:

Internet giant Google is reviewing bids received from multiple technology vendors for the development of a national DWDM fiber network, an optical switching fabric that would cover the entire continental U.S., and ultimately the globe. The construction of an advanced optical fiber network would give Google unprecedented flexibility to push massive amounts of voice, video and data content very close to end users.

The move by Google comes on the heels of the company's widely reported purchase of dark fiber and hiring of an optical fiber expert to head up initiatives by the company to construct fiber-based networks. Some reports have suggested Google's aim in buying dark fiber is to cost-effectively manage by the company's rising traffic loads by constructing their own long-haul networks. But according to vendors who responded to Google's request for proposals for the optical DWDM network, Google's architectural demands suggest the company is looking to become a major competitive communications network provider.

As a general principle, it's important to keep the companies that provide the transport of bits from also providing services using those bits because the temptation is just too great to hamstring the services of others. (See the Skype tidbit above.) But, if Google were to keep the two divisions separate, and if they were to pledge to keep their network open to anyone with two bits, so to speak, this could give us a way to route around the greed- and fear-based architectures coming our way from the incumbents.

Plus, do you know just how cool fiber is? Omigod.

Alternatively, maybe Google is just building itself an amazing intranet.