Google Fiber. Click to go to the Fiber homepage.
By JONATHAN COX
DavidsonNews.net/CorneliusNews.net
CHARLOTTE - Google Inc. confirmed Tuesday that Charlotte will be one of the next cities to receive its super-fast Google Fiber internet service. Some analysts think Google’s Charlotte network could reach the Lake Norman area, though the company isn’t tipping its hand yet.
The announcement makes Charlotte one of just nine metropolitan areas around the country slated to receive the service, which promises download and upload speeds 100 times faster than other internet providers.
Asked if Google planned to bring the service to Lake Norman, Google Director of Expansion Jill Szuchmacher said only: “It is too early to say. Right now we’re focusing on Charlotte itself … and then we will figure out from there when [expansion] makes sense, if it makes sense.”
Fiber boosts internet speeds by using fiberoptic cables instead of copper wires or microwaves to deliver internet. Google will pay for the installation of the new fiberoptic network, making use of already installed cable that’s currently unused (called “dark fiber”), as well as laying more than a thousand miles of new cable.
Mayor Dan Clodfelter speaks at the Google Fiber press conference in Charlotte (Jonathan Cox/DavidsonNews.net)
FIBER FEVER
Google says the fiber network will be up to 100 times faster than current basic broadband, offering one gigabit per second (1,000Mbps) of upload and download.
In Kansas City, where Google Fiber is being installed, the service costs $70 for internet alone, and $120 for internet and 150 TV channels. Szuchmacher said the pricing may be different in Charlotte. “We anticipate bringing similar products to all our new markets,” she said, “but we don’t have pricing worked out yet.”
Google Fiber also offers basic internet at today’s average broadband speed for no monthly charge, after a $300 construction fee is paid. Google hopes this more affordable plan will help close the “digital divide” that makes it difficult for some students to access the internet.
For the time being, Google Fiber is only a residential service, though business services may become available. Though it will be months before the first homes get fiber, the announcement already had Charlotte residents, gamers, and other regular internet users abuzz on Twitter. Some were rejoicing in the opportunity to change from their current service providers:
wooo!!! http://t.co/Ua6eHwCmtA GOODBYE FOREVER @comcast!!!!! I never have to deal with incompetent #Comcast idiots EVER again!! #GoogleFiber
— Cass A Nova (@cassettya) January 27, 2015
Google is on AT&T and Time Warner Cable’s turf now, and the two internet service providers have announced the possibility of bringing their own ultra-high-speed internet to Charlotte.
Jill Szuchmacher spoke about Google’s plans in Charlotte
Twitter users aren’t the only ones happy about fiber – city officials were at the press conference Tuesday at Discovery Place to celebrate the announcement. “This is a validation that Charlotte intends to be, and will be positioned to be, a major player in the digital economy of the 21st century,” Mayor Dan Clodfelter said.
City officials said they hope the faster internet will help spur entrepreneurship and growth in the city’s business sector.
NOT BUILT IN A DAY
Don’t expect faster page loads on DavidsonNews.net just yet – even if Google Fiber were to come to Charlotte, Szuchmacher said it will take a long time for the internet to reach all the city’s neighborhoods and suburbs. Coverage maps of Kansas City, where Google started installing the Fiber system in 2012, show that the service still hasn’t reached large portions of the city after more than two years.
“It will take an enormous amount of time to design each and every mile of the network,” Szuchmacher said. Google will install thousands of miles of fiberoptic cable to bring the service to the neighborhoods that ask for it.
Because of the complexity of the planning process, Szuchmacher said that Google still doesn’t have a planned start date for building its fiber network. “We’re still designing the network, and the time and schedule are really dependent on how much of the cable is above ground or below ground,” Szuchmacher said. Early estimates suggest that the approximately 50 percent of the lines will be overhead and 50 percent underground.
Google Fiber started its rollout in Kansas City in 2012, Grey areas have coverage, but large areas of the city still have not been reached.
She added that Google is focusing on the city of Charlotte first, and then will consider expanding service to the Charlotte suburbs and Lake Norman area. Once the critical infrastructure of the system is built, Google will have a signup period for those interested in the service. The first areas to receive Google Fiber will be based on demand and engineering feasibility.
In other markets, Google has also decided where to install fiber first based on the proximity of neighborhoods to “fiber huts” – 10×30 ft. structures that house fiberoptic and telecommunications equipment. You can see a map of the proposed fiber hut locations in Charlotte at charmeck.org.
Given that Google’s plans are still in the works, it’s too soon to say what effect the new competitor might have on another local competitor, MI-Connection, the cable and internet network owned by the towns of Mooresville and Davidson.
MI-Connection CEO David Auger, who formerly ran Time Warner Cable’s Charlotte operations, said Tuesday: “I’m always concerned when there’s an additional competitor in the market.” He noted that Google is the second company in the past two weeks to announce a service that competes with MI-Connection. Dish Network has announced plans for Sling TV, which could allow customers access to TV shows and movies without a satellite TV subscription.
But given the long design and construction process, Google’s arrival in the Lake Norman market could take years, Auger said.
“It’s a long, excruciating process. It will be years before we see them up here, which gives us time to prepare,” he said.
Meanwhile, MI-Connection will continue upgrading its own network as technology improves, he said. The company already offers the fastest internet speeds in the region, with 60 mbps downloads and 10 mbps uploads. MI-Connection introduced the faster speeds in 2012 at no additional cost to customers.
CHOOSING CHARLOTTE
In February 2014, Google announced Charlotte was one of 34 metropolitan areas that might receive fiber. It required the city to submit an application showing the possible locations for fiber huts, and Charlotte submitted its application in May 2014. As the city worked to attract Google, local groups like Charlotte Hearts Gigabit appeared to raise enthusiasm about the service.
“It was clear throughout the process that leaders here in Charlotte really prioritize bringing high speed internet and helping to bring Charlotte into the digital economy of the 21st century,” Szuchmacher said. “We’re here today because of the hard work, passion, and commitment of the city and its leaders.
Editor David Boraks contributed to this article.
RELATED COVERAGE
Get Charlotte-specific details about Google Fiber at charmeck.org and fiber.google.com
See maps of potential Charlotte Google “fiber huts” on the city website. (PDF)
Feb. 26, 2014, “MI-Connection growth means it can pay more toward debt, CEO says”
