Google has a new plan to make the entire internet faster (GOOG, GOOGL)

pulse

July 20, 2017 6:54 PM

Google unveils a new algorithm that's already making Google.com and YouTube faster — with the rest of the web to follow, hopefully.

A Google data center

When it comes to internet speed, small, often obscure things can make a big difference.

Take the congestion control algorithm. A piece of code standardized in the 1980s, the algorithm slows data transfers when it detects that a network is getting overloaded.

The congestion control algorithm is a tiny part of the much more complicated methods by which our devices get data to and from the internet. But it can significantly affect speeds.

For example, after Google in March started using a congestion control algorithm of its own design with YouTube, it saw an speed increase of 4% worldwide — and a 14% gain in some countries, according to a blog entry.

That kind of a gain may seem small, but it represents the average boost and takes into account every single site visit. From that perspective, the boost translates into a meaningful difference.

The new congestion control algorithm, which Google calls BBR, for to light a fire under the tech industry and spur it to follow suit, he said.

"Google wants to help the internet get as fast as it can," Cardwell said.