"There�s renewed speculation that Google is planning to enter the telco arena as more revelations come to light about the company�s (very) low-profile U.S. fibre purchases together with news of an interesting alliance with a Wi-Fi enterprise that owns a customer location search technology. The September edition of the magazine Business 2.0 says that Google is quietly assembling a collection of alliances and assets that could enable it to offer Wi-Fi services funded by location-based advertising. And it also reveals that Google may be already test-driving the business model in San Francisco. The magazine confirms previous rumours that Google has been buying up cheap fibre across the U.S. from providers such as AboveNet, Cogent and WilTel. The immediate rationale for this is obvious: Google gets to keep more of its burgeoning traffic on-net and avoid high IP transit fees to connect to the access networks used by its customers. In doing so, Google effectively becomes an ISP itself, using peering arrangements to further cut its costs. However, what would happen if Google was to go just one step further and connect directly into the access network? Well, this may already be happening, says Business 2.0"
The world of eCommerce payments has evolved. As we look toward the latter half of this decade, we're witnessing a transformation in how digital commerce operates, with a clear shift toward localized payment solutions within a global marketplace. The numbers tell a compelling story. According to Juniper Research's latest analysis, global eCommerce transactions are set to reach $11.4 trillion by 2029, marking a 63 percent increase from $7 trillion in 2024. This growth isn't just about volume – it's about fundamental changes in how people pay for goods and services online. Perhaps most striking is the projected dominance of Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), which are expected to account for 69 percent of global transactions by 2029, with 360 billion transactions processed through these channels. eCommerce Payments Market Development What makes this shift particularly interesting is how it reflects the democratization of digital commerce. Traditional card-based systems ar...