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Google Fiber Construction Begins in Raleigh & Charlotte

Google Fiber has announced that the company has begun construction on its gigabit fiber network in both Raleigh and Charlotte. Both cities were unveiled back in January as part of the company's latest expansion, which also included Salt Lake City, Nashville, and Atlanta. Google Fiber's Twitter account announced the beginning of construction those two cities with a few photos of crews at work digging and burying fiber lines.

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Google Fiber said it had begun network construction in both Nashville and Salt Lake City earlier this month. The company has yet to announce when users in these markets can sign up for service, but it's expected to be late this year.

"Since we first announced Google Fiber would come to the Triangle, our team of engineers has been working closely with cities across the metro area to design our network – preparing permitting packages, creating a detailed map of where we can put our thousands of miles of fiber and plotting out existing infrastructure such as utility poles and underground conduit," states the company.

Google Fiber is expected to announce expansion to Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and San Jose sometime later this year, as the company continues to pressure complacent incumbent broadband ISPs. Usually that's more from a PR perspective than a physical deployment perspective, since the actual number of connected Google Fiber customers remains small.

In Google Fiber launch markets, $70 a month nets you a symmetrical 1 Gbps connection with no added fees. $130 a month nets you a symmetrical 1 Gbps connection and TV service. Users also have the option of a free 5 Mbps tier if they're willing to pay a $300 installation fee (which can be paid in installments).

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tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

1 edit

tmc8080

Member

How long?

How long before Austin Tx gets their fiber?

ATT's looking for 150 million a year in corporate welfare to compete..
[silver lining.. Google Fiber gets geographically closer to Verizon geography]

maartena
Elmo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA

1 recommendation

maartena

Premium Member

Re: How long?

said by tmc8080:

How long before Austin Tx gets their fiber?

ATT's looking for 150 million a year in corporate welfare to compete..
[silver lining.. Google Fiber gets geographically closer to Verizon geography]

Setting up shop in a new city where you have no presence is tricky. Basically, it is the same as setting up a business with probably around a 1,000 employees.

You need:

- local business licence.
- an office location.
- hire people that are qualified. (takes time, starts with hiring HR person)
- setup shop, get people trained
- secure local suppliers
- setup a base infrastructure/backbone
- get permits from the city to start digging up their streets
- a LOT of other legal things that come with setting up a business.

If you decide on day 1 that you are going to do business somewhere, and you have no presence whatsoever in that city, it's going to take 6 months to a year just to get your business off of the ground, and that is a normal business. If you are just selling banners or something and need to setup a print shop and hire people, you probably can do it in 3 months. But setting up an ISP that needs to build out an infrastructure, that takes time.

When AT&T wants to deploy Gigapower, they don't have to do most of that stuff.... they are already an established business, they already know how to lay fiber (U-Verse is 95% fiber, the last 5% is to your home), and they already have the permits to put cables everywhere.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz to tmc8080

Member

to tmc8080
GF is out of order even within KC. The first two cities are not at all complete (especially North KCMO) but they are already starting actual rollout in some suburbs that signed up after the two core KC cities.

gatorkram
Need for Speed
Premium Member
join:2002-07-22
Winterville, NC

gatorkram

Premium Member

Nice for NC

This is a really good thing for my state, but of course I have to add it's not coming anywhere near where I am.

techfury90
join:2015-03-03
Carrboro, NC

techfury90

Member

Re: Nice for NC

I always found it ironic that back when I lived in your neck of the woods, the speed tiers were higher than they were with TWC in Raleigh. Go figure. (2008-2010)

why60loss
Premium Member
join:2012-09-20

why60loss

Premium Member

Cool they will be in shortly

But Wake forest didn't make the cut.

Oh well it will be good for google to give TWC the kick in the rear it has needed for so long in so many areas. (Speeds, customer service, in home techs and pricing.)

Go Google Fiber!!! We are in the next step to getting saved from the internet dark ages.
TriadWelder
join:2010-03-20
King, NC

TriadWelder

Member

Great for NC, GO GOOGLE!

So close, but so far away!

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ

batterup

Premium Member

What are the numbers?

How many broadband, TV and telephone subscribers do they have working?
betam4x
join:2002-10-12
Nashville, TN

betam4x

Member

Heavy Fiber Work

There is some crazy construction going on near my apartment complex, with fiber being deployed on our 'main' road we are about a mile away from it. The trucks are unmarked, so i don't know if it's Google Fiber or AT&T GigaPower, but either way, when they make it over here I am going to be singing from the rooftops. Comcast is crap and they are going to pay dearly for their laziness. Unlike most people, I don't have a problem throwing $150 a month for good internet and cable TV, but damn, Comcast wouldn't know quality service if it hit them in the nose. When you can't even keep 800 residents online for more than 24 hours, it's a sign you need to change things up.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: Heavy Fiber Work

Not sure about other markets but Atlantic Engineering did core GF fiber rollout in KC and the trucks had their name on it.

Bob123455555
@att.net

Bob123455555 to betam4x

Anon

to betam4x
AT&T gigapower trucks are marked

bockbock
@hcs.net

bockbock

Anon

0_0

That picture with fiber + red clay = eye candy.

Mr_Anon_Name
@cox.net

Mr_Anon_Name

Anon

One off project is growing fast!

Google seems to have kicked it into high gear. I remember that this was supposed to be an experiment and limited to Kansas City. NOW, they're expanding rather fast.

If telecos don't watch their back, they're going to regret sleeping for so long.

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ

batterup

Premium Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

said by Mr_Anon_Name :

Google seems to have kicked it into high gear. I remember that this was supposed to be an experiment and limited to Kansas City. NOW, they're expanding rather fast.

If telecos don't watch their back, they're going to regret sleeping for so long.

27,000 TOTAL Googlefiber subscribers; this is a typical Google hobby project and not a real attempt to bring fiber to the great-unwashed.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

Clarification, 29K _TV_ subs at end of 2014.
»www.multichannel.com/new ··· t/388806

Is likely 15%-30% are on Gbit or 5M only with no TV. Yeah, still small base but they appear to be getting about 35%-50% uptake of homes passed so far, up to 75% in higher income areas. Analysts say they need 30% uptake of homes passed to profit.

Rollout is going slooow though. They are supposed to pass over 500K homes in KC market and may only have 120K-150K passed so far and probably won't be much more than 200K by end of year.

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ

batterup

Premium Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

said by existenz:

35%-50% uptake of homes passed so far,

I thought it would be more as people have to pay to get on a list promising they will subscribe to Googlefiber. They are anointed "Fiberhoods".

VZ is watching this closely; "Google has set the bar for new FiOS builds".
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

I'm expecting 30%-40% GF uptake (actual subscriptions) in the end as ISPs are now offering better competition. At least in KC, GF already passed most of the low income areas and higher income burbs have yet to get it so would expect as more higher income hoods come online, uptake rate will increase from here. But...

GF is hardly ideal for everyone and now that they have pushed other ISPs to offer higher speeds (and cheaper mid-tier speeds), I would expect GF to only have 30%-40% uptake in the end, which is apparently enough to profit. Surewest/CCI in KC offers fiber passing about 100K homes with 20K uptake (20%) and they seem to be surviving fine. If GF is just a hobby, profiting from it probably won't be an issue.

GF is better for those who want pure speed and better picture quality. Other ISPs offer a better deal now with reasonable lower priced 50M-100M speeds, typically a few more channels and decent bundled triple play packages. GF will do fine, other ISPs will do fine, no one will have more than 50% share.

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ

batterup

Premium Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

said by existenz:

I'm expecting 30%-40% GF uptake (actual subscriptions) in the end as ISPs are now offering better competition.

“To Cable & Satellite investors, Google Fiber is a bit like ebola: very scary and something to be taken seriously... but the numbers are very small, it gets more press attention than it deserves, and it ultimately doesn't pose much of a risk (here in the U.S. at least),” Moffett wrote.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

Agree, I'm just talking uptake of GF homes passed, not national market share. The GF hype is highly likely helping consumers in general, especially by setting expectations of below $100 Gbit.

I don't think GF will ever have much national footprint but all they need to do is profit to stay out of hobby mode and there's a pretty good chance they can profit within the footprint they do rollout in. As long as Google _thinks_ they have an influence in ISP industry, would think they'd stick with it long term as long as they break even or profit.

DataRiker
Premium Member
join:2002-05-19
00000

DataRiker to batterup

Premium Member

to batterup
Looks like ATT took them pretty seriously. They are now offering 70 dollar Gig internet where I live. (Among other areas)

techfury90
join:2015-03-03
Carrboro, NC

techfury90

Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

They did that too. And they've been deploying it en masse.

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ

batterup

Premium Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

said by techfury90:

They did that too. And they've been deploying it en masse.

What does that mean? FiOS is lacking and VZ has 1000 times more fiber to the premise subscribers than Google will ever have.

DataRiker
Premium Member
join:2002-05-19
00000

DataRiker

Premium Member

Re: One off project is growing fast!

I believe he was talking about ATT.

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ

batterup to techfury90

Premium Member

to techfury90
said by DataRiker:

Looks like ATT took them pretty seriously. They are now offering 70 dollar Gig internet where I live. (Among other areas)

said by batterup:

said by techfury90:

They did that too. And they've been deploying it en masse.

What does that mean? FiOS is lacking and VZ has 1000 times more fiber to the premise subscribers than Google will ever have.

said by DataRiker:

I believe he was talking about ATT.

OIC, quotes are good.

mooresville
@windstream.com

mooresville

Anon

boo no Mooresville

Kinda sad that Google didnt bring this to Mooresville. Ill have to get all the NASCAR drivers to complain about it.

F100
join:2013-01-15
Durham, NC
Alcatel-Lucent G-010G-A
(Software) pfSense
Pace 5268AC

F100

Member

Triangle Fiber

For those of you in the Raleigh Durham area, DSLR member DanielHolt here has created a forum for construction posting and information for fiber installs by Google, AT&T, and others across the Triangle.

»www.fibertothepress.com/

I've got some AT&T construction to post. Also someone, probably AT&T is working down NC 54 between Durham and Chapel Hill(Friday Center to I-40). Can't miss the big roll on a trailer that says "CORNING" stamped on the side.

CamaroZ28
join:2015-04-23
Atlanta, GA

CamaroZ28

Member

Atlanta

»www.decaturish.com/2015/ ··· -begins/