Google Fiber announces first expansion in half a decade

Google has announced its first broadband expansion in five years.

The Alphabet-owned company, which also oversees the Android TV CTV platform, has announced an expansion into Iowa after years of silence.

In a blog post, Google Fiber CEO Dinni Jain revealed that the company has been working on adding West Des Moines, Iowa to its coverage areas. He wrote that the company will start building infrastructure in the region, along with expansions in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Idaho.

The former Time Warner Cable COO wrote: “For the past several years, we’ve been even busier behind the scenes, focusing on our vision of providing the best possible gigabit internet service to our customers through relentless refinements to our service delivery and products.

“At no time in Google Fiber’s history has that ever been more important than today. We’re living in a world that has finally caught up to the idea that high-speed, reliable internet — at gigabit speeds — is no longer a bold idea or a “nice to have.” The experience of the last couple of years has certainly taught us that.”

A report from Reuters goes into more detail on the subject, noting that the expansion to the five new areas was determined based on areas where internet speeds lag the most. These areas will be the division’s primary focus in the coming years, though Jain told the newswire that it would still look to expand availability in existing cities.

Speaking to Reuters in his first interview since being appointed Google Fiber CEO in 2018, Jain said: “There was an impression 10 years ago that Google Fiber was trying to build the entire country. What we are gesturing here is, ‘No, we are not trying to build the entire country.’

“The intent is to build businesses that will be successful in and of their own right and that is what we are trying to do at Google Fiber for sure,” he said.