Google Hopes to Expand Its Superfast Fiber Network to 34 More Cities
Internet-addicted people of the world rejoice! Superfast wireless Internet might be coming to a city near you.
Google announced Wednesday its intention to expand Fiber to a slew of new cities. The service is currently available in Kansas City, Austin and Provo. Now Google is inviting nine more major metropolitan areas to the club, including Portland, San Jose, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Atlanta. In total, 34 lucky cities have received that golden ticket.
Google says it’ll know for sure whether these cities can handle Fiber by the end of the year. Per its blog post:
“Between now and then, we’ll work closely with each city’s leaders on a joint planning process that will not only map out a Google Fiber network in detail, but also assess what unique local challenges we might face. These are such big jobs that advance planning goes a long way toward helping us stick to schedules and minimize disruption for residents.”
For the uninitiated, Fiber is a wonderful little project that aims to improve broadband Internet infrastructure around the country by using fiber-optic communication. According to Google, it’s 100 times faster than today’s average broadband speeds; Netflix’s tests routinely list Google Fiber as the fastest Internet service provider in America by a long shot. Google launched the project in 2011, selecting Kansas City as the first place to be outfitted with the spectacular technology. The result? Instant downloads, crystal-clear video resolutions and insanely quick loading times.
Since then, Google has been slowly but surely expanding the service nationwide. Its hope is to make speedy Internet connections (and connection to Google websites and services, natch) the norm for future generations.
If this means I might be able to stream True Detective while also downloading music and browsing Instagram: Forget it, I’m moving to Portland.
See if your city is on the list here.
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