Google Fiber halts build-out

Google Fiber says it’s not expanding its fiber rollout to any more cities. The announcement confirms last month’s reports of lay-offs and build-out pauses, signaling the end of the ambitious infrastructure project whose accomplishments never lived up to its hype.

Google Fiber is currently in Kansas City, KS; Provo and Salt Lake City, UT;  Austin, TX; Charlotte, NC; Nashville, TN; and the Research Triangle, NC. It also still plans to build in “upcoming” cities of Louisville, KY; Irvine, CA; Huntsville, AL; and San Antonio, TX. Google will not build in Dallas, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, San Jose, and Tampa.

As we’ve written before, Google discovered what network operators and telecom workers have known all along – building and maintaining fiber networks, hiring skilled workers, and serving customers is an expensive and complicated proposition. Google recently purchased Webpass and says it’s looking at options to enter the fixed wireless broadband businesses.

Links:

Google Fiber halts rollout; top exec leaves (USA Today, Oct. 26, 2016)

Google pauses operations in potential Fiber cities, including Los Angeles and San Jose (Venture Beat, Oct. 25, 2016)

Google Fiber -- there’s not much “there” there (Speed Matters, Sept. 2, 2016)