Google Fiber, Alphabet’s business focused on providing high-speed internet access in the United States, outlined ambitious ambitions to extend its fiber services over the next three to five years in a blog post. It intends to introduce fiber services in five more states, including Arizona and Colorado, as well as Nebraska, Nevada, and Idaho, which were previously announced. According to Reuters, Google Fiber plans to extend to 22 metro regions, up from 17 presently.
It’s a significant improvement from 2016 when the company allegedly laid off 9% of its personnel and halted plans to offer services in over a half-dozen locations. In the years afterward, rumors have surfaced that the corporation has canceled hundreds of connections in existing metro regions such as Kansas City, and has abandoned Louisville, Kentucky completely following an ill-fated attempt with putting fiber cable in ultra-shallow trenches.
Google Fiber was introduced in 2010 to help push the adoption of higher internet speeds at a cheaper cost, partially by delivering it directly and partly by putting pressure on incumbent US providers to compete. Jain, a former Time Warner executive, claims to have received direct pressure from Google.
The announcement of Google Fiber’s growth ambitions comes at a time when the company and the tech sector as a whole are tightening their belts. The corporation imposed a two-week hiring hold last month as it examined its personnel requirements, making it the latest digital behemoth to take stock amid a deteriorating economic environment. In recent years, Alphabet has also been more prepared to shut down experimental ventures. It shut down its balloon internet provider Loon last year, and its energy kite business will close in 2020.
