US tech giant Google has notified several Russian internet service providers of plans to terminate their contracts for servicing Google Global Cache servers, RBC reported on Thursday, citing sources in the telecommunications market.
The servers in question are used to speed up the loading of Google pages, including YouTube content, and reduce the amount of cross-border traffic by temporarily storing uploaded data, thus slashing the cost of network infrastructure.
A representative of Orenburg-based provider Radiosvyaz confirmed to RBC that these servers were turned off on May 19, and a notification was received a few days later. The source did not clarify the reasons for the shutdown, but suggested that Google might have considered the operator too small.