Google Fiber considers three new cities

Jessica Guynn | USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — Google Fiber is considering three new cities for its high-speed Internet service: San Diego, Irvine, Calif., and Louisville, Ky.

The company, which is part of the newly formed Google parent company Alphabet, said it chose the three new candidates because city officials are on board to expand Internet access.

"Our next step is to begin a joint planning process with city leaders, just as we did when we began working with nine metro areas last year," Jill Szuchmacher, director of Google Fiber Expansion, said in a blog post. "Irvine, Louisville and San Diego will join twelve metro areas where we're connecting users, designing and constructing new networks, or exploring the possibility of Google Fiber."

Google Fiber offers speeds up to one gigabit per second, about 100 times as fast as average broadband service in the USA.

"Once we complete this planning process, we’ll determine if we can bring Google Fiber to Irvine, Louisville and San Diego. Every city is different and will move on a unique timeline, so we’ll keep in touch with residents about our progress along the way," Szuchmacher wrote.

Analysts estimate that installing Google Fiber, including burying fiber-optic cable, costs more than $500 a home. Fiber is one of Google's newer projects such as Nest that are now a part of Alphabet.



