Google to Build Massive Undersea Internet Cable Across the Pacific Ocean   - 3,604 Views,

The first clue was dropped during a presentation by a Level 3 executive, detailing new cables planned to cross the Pacific. Unity was named among them, although it was not at that time tied to Google.

Having their own cable across the Pacific would give Google a leg up in many competitive ways, not the least of which would be that by developing their own globe-spanning network they would not have to rely on, and pay, other global networks such as Verizon to transit their data, while competitors MSN and Yahoo still do.

Google has been tight-lipped, while not denying the plans for the Unity cable, saying coyly only that “Additional infrastructure for the Internet is good for users and there are a number of proposals to add a Pacific submarine cable. We’re not commenting on any of these plans.”

However, the next piece of the puzzle was dropped by Google itself, when it listed in its job listings an opening for a “submarine cable negotiator”. When pressed on this job listing, Google told the Australian industry publication Communications Day, “It should come as no surprise that Google is looking for qualified people to help secure additional network capacity. In some parts of the world, these people will work with submarine cables because there is a lot of ocean out there.”

And while the Pacific is indeed a lot of ocean, some - perhaps most notably the current global network giants - may feel that it’s getting just a tad smaller, and a bit too crowded.