Cisco is apparently hoping to piggyback on the excitement surrounding Google’s recent announcement that they’re deploying 1 Gbps fiber service to a limited number of consumers for testing purposes. According to the Financial Times, Cisco is “developing an ultra-high-speed system for internet access” in cooperation with a number of US service providers. Given Cisco already sells hardware to most of the major ISPs, many of whom already are cooking up “ultra-high-speed” service (like Comcast’s exploration of 100-250 Mbps service), the leak is annoyingly vague:

Cisco declined to comment on its plans. But it said the US “needs high-speed, future-proof broadband networks that are accessible and affordable to all and that it “looks forward to being part of this exciting transformation”. David Kaut, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus in Washington, said Cisco’s move, like Google s, would help the private sector determine whether there was real consumer demand for huge amounts of bandwidth, or whether current levels of 5 or 10 megabits were sufficient.

Mr. Kaut’s quote is particularly odd for several reasons. One, we’re already quickly pushing past 5 to 10 megabits per second speeds for even standard service in many markets, with several carriers launching 50-100 Mbps service. Two, why would anybody think that the evolution in broadband speeds should just stop at 5 to 10 megabits? Today’s power user is tomorrow’s regular user; you don’t just stop upgrading networks because you think Joe public currently doesn’t need faster speeds.

Cisco’s “leak” offers no details, though the company tells GigaOM that they’re holding a press event on March 9 where Cisco “will make a significant announcement that will forever change the Internet and its impact on consumers, businesses and governments.” From the sound of it, ISPs are working with Cisco to design a public relations counterpunch to Google’s announcement, which as we noted at launch is in part designed to give Google policy and political ammunition in the fights over open access, network neutrality, and competition.

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