Googlenet dwarfs all but two of world's ISPs

Google handles more internet traffic than all but two of the world's ISPs, according to data from network-security outfit Arbor Networks. If Google were an ISP, says Arbor chief scientist Craig Labovitz, it would be the fastest-growing carrier in the world, and its size would be matched only by a pair of tier 1 providers, …

[Anonymous Coward]

We all ge the Christmas we deserve

The telcos spent the last 10 years destroying the internet model and dragging customer traffic for no reason to a single location across the country where they will benevolently consider serving them some (dis)service. They should not complain when somebody comes about who can use this artificial and inefficient architecture to their own benefit.

Google would have had a much harder time competing if the Internet was following the Internet model where service can and should be anywhere instead of being rebuilt into idiotic ETSI/TISPAN, 3GPP/IMS, etc contraptions. As it stands however it is now in a position to put a gun to the head of every telco saying "You are a dumb bitshifter now. You bitshift exactly as we say or we bring in the diggers (non-unionised ones) and put our own fiber".

[Neal 5]

Who can remember

that absolutely brilliant cartoon series Pinky and The Brain.?

And we all thought it was just a childish cartoon. Now the real question is, which character is Sergey portraying?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?

I think so, Brain, but this time, you put the trousers on the chimp.

[Ed Blackshaw]

Poink!

Narf.

[Skrrp]

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

"Google insists that its fiber networks are merely for "experimental" purposes and that it has no intention of competing with consumer ISPs."

I don't think that grinding them into dust and crapping on their remains counts as 'competition'.

[Anonymous Coward]

Do they route third party traffic

I wonder if some of my non Google traffic routes over Google's backbone and I wonder too if they take a peek. I wonder this because everyone and their uncle seems to think my private data is there business these days.

And I recall the ATnT thing:

http://www.eff.org/issues/nsa-spying

[fandom]

Poetic justice

The ISPs are all salivating at the chance to charge Google to allow their traffic but, if they finally manage to do away with network neutrality, it looks like it will be them paying Google not to block their subscribers traffic.

[Dale 3]

Megacorp

When exactly are we supposed to start imagining dystopian futures in which the Evil MegaCorp runs the world, requiring the services of a hero character and his unlikely band of misfit Street-speaking sidekicks to discover the Big Evil Plot and bring down The Corporation in an impressively entertaining show of falling buildings and sparks?

Seriously though, isn't the sweetheart Google nearing the point at which we are all supposed to turn on it for being Too Big and Too Pervasive and Too Closed Source, and write its name as $oo$le or something?

[James Thomas]

But

The funniest thing is that nobody thought the mega world-owning corp would have such a ridiculous name as 'Google'

[Brutus]

The answer is ...

It's already too late!

[Anonymous Coward]

Polishing the Crystal Ball

Virgin Media have the UK's largest cable-come-fibre infrastructure and given that VM have already out-sourced their email services to Google, are closing support newsgroups, and seem all in favour of Web 2.0 web mail and forums, the opportunity for Google to take over the infrastructure as well would look appealing.

Google get their fibre to customer service plus access to everything VM customers sends or receive ( makes Phorm look quite amateur in that light ), Debt-ridden VM will undoubtedly see it as a sweet and much needed deal financially and Google will see it as a price well worth paying. Meanwhile Google can claim they aren't in competition, just partnering.

I predict VM to just be a façade for Google ISP operations in the UK within the next five years.

[Anonymous Coward]

size would be matched only by a pair of tier 1 providers

So it is by far the biggest? as its size is equal to two of the others? ( 2=1+1 )

[Robert A. Rosenberg]

Google Network Size

You are misreading what the statement means. It says that only 2 of the Tier 1 providers have a larger network. IOW: If you had a list of Tier 1 providers ordered by size and added Google to that list, it would appear in the list between the 2nd and 3rd largest network.

[Anonymous Coward]

Can we arrange for both sides to lose?

Between the ISPs throttling and opposition to net neutrality on one hand, and Google's orwellian tendencies on the other, its a shame that both sides can't find a way to lose.

[Terry Kiely]

Putting on my tier 1 overcoat and heading home

just looking forward to the soon to be announced google transporter which will teleport me home down their fibre to my door!

[Anonymous Cowherd 3]

In a world of imperfect and slow but eventually decisive anti-monopoly legislation

I think I'd be more worried if i were a Google investor about the number of businesses they are jumping into with cross-subsidy from their profit making division than I am as a Google consumer about their world domination plans.

I may be naive, but Google's effort to take over the internet scare me as much as Microsoft's do... ie. not very much.

Google got big by giving people what they want. If they stop doing that, someone else will get big at their expense.

Simple.

[Paul 75]

How...

Is it just me, or can anyone else comprehend how a single company can accumulate so much wealth and power, in such a short time, simply from some dumbasses clicking adverts on a computer screen? I mean they don't even have any physical product, unlike Amazon or other online retailers. Even Microsoft actually ships products out the door. The world has gone completely mad.

[Drefsab]

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

Google has a lot more revinue streams that some simple advertisement. Sure that is one, android is one making big waves in the mobile market. Google Apps is another really popular and paid for service from google. (http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2009-01-07-n84.html).

[Max 6]

IP only? Or does this include transport...

I know for a fact that Google's transport network relies on third party transport (DWDM / SONET) compared to what they actually "own" or light up directly (dark fiber) If this is simply comparing the amount of IP traffic on one network vs. another, it's easy to see why Google ranks high if you understand what they do.

1) Crawl the entire WWW and other protocols

2) Crunch and Reduce said content

3) Distribute across multiple data centers.

That's besides all the youtube stuff they do and the amount of mail that goes through services like Postini.

[Anonymous Coward]

Skynet?

A number of high-capacity data centers connected by fiber and reaching into our homes/phones/fridges/cars/ICBMs to "help" us. I see a trend forming... Off to the hills it is.

[pctechxp]

@grumpy

Yep, only a matter of time before 'it' becomes self aware.