Google Fiber
Google Fiber, also known as GFiber, is a fiber broadband Internet service operated by Google Fiber Inc., a subsidiary of Alphabet, servicing a growing number of households in cities in 19 states across the United States. In mid-2016, Google Fiber was estimated to have about 453,000 broadband customers.
| Area served | 28 areas across the contiguous United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | Google (2010–2015) Access/Alphabet Inc. (2015–present) |
| Key people | Dinesh Jain (CEO of Access) |
| Industry | Multiple-system operator |
| Products | Broadband Internet VoIP telephone |
| URL | fiber |
| Launched | February 10, 2010 |
| Current status | Active |
| ASNs | |
The service was first introduced to the Kansas City metropolitan area, including twenty Kansas City area suburbs within the first three years. Initially proposed as an experimental project, Google Fiber was announced as a viable business model in December 2012, when Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt stated "It's actually not an experiment, we're actually running it as a business", at The New York Times' DealBook Conference.
Google Fiber announced expansion to Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, in April 2013, and subsequent expansions in 2014 and 2015 to Atlanta, Charlotte, Research Triangle, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio. GFiber resumed expansion and by early 2024, GFiber also served Huntsville (Alabama), Maricopa County (Arizona), Des Moines and West Des Moines (Iowa), Omaha (Nebraska) among others.
In August 2015, Google announced its intention to restructure the company, moving less central services and products into a new umbrella corporation, Alphabet Inc. As part of this restructuring plan, Google Fiber would become a subsidiary of Alphabet and would possibly become part of the Access and Energy business unit.
In October 2016, all expansion plans were put on hold and some jobs were cut. Google said it would continue to provide Google Fiber service in the cities where it was already installed. Since then, GFiber acquired Webpass to add presence in 5 additional states.
In March 2022, Google Fiber announced it would bring high speed internet to the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area, making it the first expansion in five years.. GFiber has resumed very active expansion in several new states
In August 2022, Google Fiber announced it would expand into 22 metro areas in five states (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and Nevada), including previously announced expansions into Mesa, Arizona, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, based on where it felt speeds were lagging. It also announced additional investment in North Carolina. CNET characterized this an example of fast fiber winning the broadband wars.
In October 2023 Google Fiber rebranded to GFiber and announced plans to begin offering 20Gig internet and Wi-Fi 7 hardware in the near future.