Google Fiber has announced that it plans to expand into four markets in the southeastern U.S. The company says it will build out fiber to the home (FTTH) infrastructure in a total of 18 cities within the Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham metro areas.
The company also announced it has its eyes on five other markets: Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and San Jose.
Google Fiber did not reveal the timing of its entry into the four southern cities. The company said it next will work with city planners to develop fiber-optic network maps and deploy surveyors to fill in missing details. The company said this process should take "a few months."
As is the case in Austin, TX, Google Fiber's expansion will see it butt heads with AT&T, which has announced its own gigabit FTTH network plans for Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh (see "AT&T negotiates for 1-Gbps FTTH in North Carolina" and "Atlanta, Chicago next up for 1-Gbps GigaPower service says AT&T"). AT&T also has listed San Antonio and San Jose as part of its own potential FTTH expansion roster last year (see "AT&T releases list of potential new 1-Gbps FTTH markets").
AT&T has stated the current Net Neutrality debate would cause it to put its FTTH expansion plans on hold. The competitive threat Google Fiber would pose through its expansion will test AT&T's resolve.
For more information on FTTx equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.