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Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

googlefiberblog.blogspot.com

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Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#21

Post by penny500 »

enraged_camel wrote: post #6

I realize this is very much a "first-world problem," but I find it infinitely frustrating that Google Fiber will probably never be available where I live (Long Beach, CA). Apparently this is because the various environmental regulations in California make it prohibitively expensive to deploy it here. On the one hand I like the environment. On the other, I'm on DSL. :(

California, once one of the friendliest states to do business in, has turned into a nightmare. The entrepreneurs I know are already looking for exits to Austin.

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#22

Post by mikeash »

dkhenry wrote: post #17
mikeash wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I imagine they're aiming for a high multiplier effect, too. Even if Google Fiber never reaches a large percentage of the American public, its mere existence may spur action on the part of other ISPs. For every Fiber customer Google signs up directly, they might indirectly obtain much better internet (and thus more advertising revenue) for maybe 10 other people using other ISPs.

but what do you do if that multiplier doesn't appear ? From what I have seen even when Verizon started a massive rollout of FiOS it didn't spur other ISP's to offer a competing service, they just relied on the fact that rolling out to _every_ market would be cost prohibitive. It looks like with Google Fiber the existing ISP's are taking the same track.

I don't know, my Comcast offerings got substantially better over the last few years before I moved, going from 6/1Mbps to about 20/5, and I could have had well beyond 100Mbps down by the end if I felt like paying for it.

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#23

Post by j4ustin »

Legion wrote: post #16
pash wrote: post #2

> Our goal is to start connecting homes in Austin by mid-2014. The timeline Google's followed in Kansas City suggests it will be another year until service is available to a significant chunk of Austin, and likely well into 2016 or beyond before the whole city is hooked up. Fiber to whatever suburbs are invited to the party will likely follow after that. But hopefully the build-out gets ramped up, both in Austin and…

> Fiber to whatever suburbs are invited to the party will likely follow after that. I'm interested to see where in the priority list some of the closer suburbs are. Round Rock, after all, is Dell headquarters. I'd have to imagine there is going to be some strong demand up there.

They said the roll-out was focusing on Austin City Limits, and more specifically they stated the desire to release Fiber in public buildings (offices, hospitals, schools, etc.).

This paired with the UT Austin teacher video they released leads me to believe it'll be available to the campus area, probably downtown as well (St. Davids main and Brackenridge Medical Center) and probably the surrounding neighborhoods.

Personally, I would be surprised if it went east of I-35, south of Capitol of Texas highway, west of Mopac, or North of 183 in its initial release.

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#24

Post by nickv »

georgemcbay wrote: post #19
msoad wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we won't see Fiber in California. They will use wireless technology to transfer data from final optical fiber node to homes. That way it won't need a lot of digging. Wireless data is getting faster and faster, so it should be possible to transfer gigabit per second data over wireless transmitters. Right now my iPhone's LTE is faster than my home Comcast cable connection. I hope wireless gets cheaper and faste…

Wireless data is getting faster and faster in terms of providing what would previously be considered massive bandwidth but generally the latency still sucks for things like fast-paced online gaming. I still want fiber.

Over in SF, I have Webpass, which uses wireless data to deliver Internet to the building. I consistently get around 100/100 with So yea, wireless data has gotten really really good.

Mind you, that's not LTE. It's microwave wireless... so a different type of wireless tech.

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#25

Post by j4ustin »

BryanB55 wrote: post #20

I'm in Austin and can't wait. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to continue to pay TimeWarner for another 1-2 years at least. I'm interested to see where the first 'fiberhood' is going to be in Austin. South Austin, 78704 would be awesome. Any Austin people on here have any guesses?

I would bet you'll be in the first (or second) roll out of fiberhoods. My best bet is UT Austin and downtown first, plus surrounding neighborhoods. Then they'll move West, then South.

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#26

Post by penny500 »

xradionut wrote: post #7
wesray wrote: post #5

Love it, Austin is such a great tech bubble right now, this will just continue the trend for a long while, they picked a great spot to do this (mainly because I live in Austin, lol)

Austin is in a state, (Texas), with a lot of pending issues coming to roost... education, traffic, migration, water/drought, social safety net. As much as I love my native state, I don't see any leadership addressing these.

Your business-friendly state is the envy of many Silicon Valley leaders and entrepreneurs I know.

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#27

Post by johnwyles »

Legion wrote: post #16
pash wrote: post #2

> Our goal is to start connecting homes in Austin by mid-2014. The timeline Google's followed in Kansas City suggests it will be another year until service is available to a significant chunk of Austin, and likely well into 2016 or beyond before the whole city is hooked up. Fiber to whatever suburbs are invited to the party will likely follow after that. But hopefully the build-out gets ramped up, both in Austin and…

> Fiber to whatever suburbs are invited to the party will likely follow after that. I'm interested to see where in the priority list some of the closer suburbs are. Round Rock, after all, is Dell headquarters. I'd have to imagine there is going to be some strong demand up there.

I'm not sure that a technology company being in a location necessarily indicates demand. Sure there are some technology enthusiasts in Round Rock, but moreover I think everyone will want fast internet all over Austin and the surrounding areas. I think that demand is likely to be fairly equal throughout once word gets around.

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#28

Post by johnwyles »

j4ustin wrote: post #23
Legion wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Fiber to whatever suburbs are invited to the party will likely follow after that. I'm interested to see where in the priority list some of the closer suburbs are. Round Rock, after all, is Dell headquarters. I'd have to imagine there is going to be some strong demand up there.

They said the roll-out was focusing on Austin City Limits, and more specifically they stated the desire to release Fiber in public buildings (offices, hospitals, schools, etc.). This paired with the UT Austin teacher video they released leads me to believe it'll be available to the campus area, probably downtown as well (St. Davids main and Brackenridge Medical Center) and probably the surrounding neighborhoods. Pers…

I hope you're right! I just bought a house in 78704 :)

Re: Google Fiber’s Next Stop: Austin, Texas

#30

Post by pash »

Legion wrote: post #16
pash wrote: post #2

> Our goal is to start connecting homes in Austin by mid-2014. The timeline Google's followed in Kansas City suggests it will be another year until service is available to a significant chunk of Austin, and likely well into 2016 or beyond before the whole city is hooked up. Fiber to whatever suburbs are invited to the party will likely follow after that. But hopefully the build-out gets ramped up, both in Austin and…

> Fiber to whatever suburbs are invited to the party will likely follow after that. I'm interested to see where in the priority list some of the closer suburbs are. Round Rock, after all, is Dell headquarters. I'd have to imagine there is going to be some strong demand up there.

There's not much data to go on, but in the KC area the schedule for suburban build-outs looks like it's being driven by politics as much as by demographic or infrastructural factors. (Of course, the initial choices of the KC and Austin metros themselves suggest that sort of decision-making.)

In KC, Google's first announced suburban hook-ups were a couple of tiny, affluent suburbs adjacent to KCK and KCMO, likely due to the ease of negotiating the terms of construction. It then announced availability for Olathe, an large exurb on the Kansas side, skipping over the even larger suburb of Overland Park, which is home to Sprint and some other tech firms. Olathe has Garmin, etc., but I don't think corporate tech headquarters are a consideration.

Google has also so far left out North Kansas City, a municipality that's completely surrounded by KCMO, perhaps because it has its own municipal ISP that provides FTTH. I imagine that has made negotiations difficult.

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