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Google Fiber 'Presses Pause' In Other Cities, Not San Antonio

Google Fiber
Google Fiber will stop exploring expansion of physical fiberoptic cabling in previously announced "future fiber" cities (purple and gray) and continue in cities it has already invested and begun infrastructure in.

After months of speculation about the future of Google Fiber, the company says it is time to push "pause" on expanding the high speed provider to new cities.

 
Craig Barratt, Senior VP at Alphabet says their existing footprint and cities like San Antonio where they have launched, plans will remain unchanged. Barratt resigned as head of Alphabet's Access division - which includes Google Fiber - in the same announcement.

 
A statement provided by Google to TPR says they will continue deploying in San Antonio , and are piloting new ways to do so including a process of "Microtrenching," a process that they hope disrupts less burried infrastructure.

Costs of running fiber cable  has been expensive, and Google has been delivering wireless high-speed Internet in some markets since earlier this month.

Credit Google Fiber
Google acquired Webpass, a near gigabit-speed internet provider in early October. Some of the cities overlap former Google Fiber expansion cities.

 

Paul Flahive can be reached at Paul@tpr.org