‘Business as usual’ for Google Fiber in Charlotte despite strategy change

Google Fiber said Monday it is moving forward with the installation of its high-speed Internet service in Charlotte, even as the company reportedly rethinks its strategy in other cities.

After hitting some “snags” as it lays fiber-optic cables in some cities like Charlotte, the tech giant is hoping to turn to wireless technology to connect homes instead of cables in about a dozen new metro areas, according to a Wall Street Journal report Monday. The project is on hold in San Jose, Calif., and Portland, Ore., which are considered “potential fiber cities,” according to Google Fiber’s website.

“We are working to bring Fiber to as many neighborhoods as possible in Charlotte. We’ll be opening new areas of the city on an ongoing basis. We plan to open signups in additional neighborhoods when network construction is complete in those areas,” a Google Fiber representative told the Observer.

Google Fiber last month said residents in Charlotte’s Highland Creek neighborhood can now sign up for its high-speed service, which the company says is 100 times faster than normal broadband. Next up after that is Prosperity Village.

In other cities in Charlotte’s same stage of development – Raleigh, Atlanta and Nashville – the project is also moving ahead as planned. Google Fiber announced it was bringing its network to those cities in January 2015.

In an effort to cut costs and speed up the launch of its services, Google Fiber is also leasing existing fiber or asking cities or power companies to build the networks, the Journal reported.

That hasn’t been the case in Charlotte, where it’s “business as usual,” said Phil Reiger, assistant director of Charlotte’s Department of Transportation.

Reiger said Google Fiber hasn’t communicated any changes to the City of Charlotte, and contractors continue to install fiber throughout the city.

Google Fiber’s new strategies are in response to the disruptions from building out a fiber network, the Journal reported. As contractors lay out the nearly 3,000 miles of fiber in Charlotte, for example, residents have noted disruptions like severed gas, water and sewer lines.

“What I do know about Google is that they learn as they go, which is a good thing,” the DOT’s Reiger said.

The Google Fiber representative also said the company continues to work with other potential cities around the country to explore the possibility of bringing the fiber network to their areas.

“This means deploying the latest technologies in alignment with our product roadmap, while understanding local considerations, which takes time,” she added.

This story was originally published August 15, 2016 at 2:41 PM with the headline "‘Business as usual’ for Google Fiber in Charlotte despite strategy change."