MercuryNews.com | 09/21/2005 | Google WiFi hints are on Web

Outsiders have been speculating about Google's WiFi plans in earnest lately, especially after the publication of a Business 2.0 magazine story in August that suggested that Google wants to build a massive broadband network.

The story was based on Google's relationship with the Union Square hotspot and the fact that Google has been buying up massive amounts of unused fiber-optic cable, once used by telecommunications companies that collapsed.

Others believe that Google intends to use its network to deliver video content to its users.

Jupiter Research analyst Julie Ask said Google's involvement in WiFi would make sense. WiFi providers can determine the location of their users to within about 300 feet, offering many opportunities to customize the type of content users see based on their geography.

``The potential for local search and local advertising comes into play,'' Ask said.