Google Fiber targets Mesa, AZ

July 5, 2022

If the Mesa City Council approves’ its license application, Google Fiber says it expects to begin fiber to the home (FTTH) infrastructure deployments in the city early in 2023.

Stephen Hardy

Google Fiber on July 1, 2022, announced plans to provide service in Mesa, AZ. Market entry is contingent on approval from the Mesa City Council, which is scheduled to take up the question during a meeting July 11, 2022. If the Mesa City Council approves’ the company's license application, Google Fiber says it expects to begin fiber to the home (FTTH) infrastructure deployments in the city early in 2023.

The city released a request for information this past January from fiber-optic broadband providers interested in coming to Mesa. After what a city council report describes as “a robust response to the RFI in April,” city staff began discussions with several service providers that led to creation of a “fiber optic network provider toolkit” that the report authors describe as placing Mesa in a better position to support FTTH. That toolkit includes approved construction standards to enable the use of micro-trenching in city’s rights-of-way.

The discussions also led Google Fiber to apply for a license to build an FTTH network and use it to provide services. The company proposes to install conduit and deploy cable, with micro-trenching part of the installation process. Google fiber also will pay an Annual Right of Way Underground Conduit Fee.

If the license application is approved, Mesa will become the 14th market Google Fiber will serve via FTTH. (It also serves seven markets via its fixed-wireless-based Webpass unit.) The city will be Google Fiber’s second new market announced this year, following Des Moines, IA, this past April.

For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center.

For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.