Google to offer free WiFi access in the US?

Business2 talks that Google may be planning to become one of the world's biggest Internet providers as for the past year the search engine giant has quietly purchased miles and miles of unused fiber-optic cable accross the US, and they have also acquired uberfast connections from Cogent Communications and WilTel and others. Firstly this may save Google millions of dollars a month by cutting out middlemen like AboveNet, to provide ISPs directly with traffic..

So once the GoogleNet is built, how would consumers connect for free access? One of the cheapest ways would be for Google to blanket major cities with Wi-Fi, and evidence gathered by Business 2.0 suggests that the company may be trying to do just that. In April it launched a Google-sponsored Wi-Fi hotspot in San Francisco’s Union Square shopping district, built by a local startup called Feeva. Feeva is reportedly readying more free hotspots in California, Florida, New York, and Washington, and it's possible that Google may be involved. Feeva CEO Nitin Shah confirms that the company is working with Google but won't discuss details. Google’s interest in Feeva likely stems from the startup's proprietary technology, which can determine the location of every Wi-Fi user and would allow Google to serve up advertising and maps based on real-time data.

Read more at Business2