gFiber, formerly Google Fiber, is a fiber broadband Internet service operated by Alphabet Inc. servicing a growing number of households in cities in 19 states across the United States. In mid-2016, Google Fiber was estimated to have about 453,000 broadband customers.
The service was first introduced in 2012 in the Kansas City metropolitan area, growing to include twenty Kansas City area suburbs within three years. Initially proposed as an experimental project, gFiber was announced as a viable business model in December 2012, when Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt stated "It's actually not an experiment, we're actually running it as a business", at The New York Times DealBook Conference.
gFiber announced expansion to Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, in April 2013, and subsequent expansions in 2014 and 2015 to Atlanta, Charlotte, Research Triangle, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio. gFiber resumed expansion and by early 2024, gFiber also served Huntsville (Alabama), Maricopa County (Arizona), Des Moines and West Des Moines (Iowa), Omaha (Nebraska) among others.
In August 2015, Google announced its intention to restructure the company, moving less central services and products into a new umbrella corporation, Alphabet Inc. As part of this restructuring plan, Google Fiber would become a subsidiary of Alphabet and would possibly become part of the Access and Energy business unit.
In October 2016, all expansion plans were put on hold, and some jobs were cut. Google said it would continue to provide Google Fiber service in the cities where it was already installed. Since then, gFiber acquired Webpass to add presence in 5 additional states. In March 2022, Google Fiber announced it would bring high speed internet to the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area, making it the first expansion in five years. gFiber has resumed very active expansion in several new states.
In August 2022, Google Fiber announced it would expand into 22 metro areas in five states (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and Nevada), including previously announced expansions into Mesa, Arizona, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, based on where it felt speeds were lagging. It also announced additional investment in North Carolina. CNET characterized this an example of fast fiber winning the broadband wars. In October 2023, Google Fiber rebranded to GFiber and announced plans to begin offering 20Gig internet and Wi-Fi 7 hardware in the near future. Another rebrand to the current gFiber brand name was made in September 2026, removing all parts of Google's branding.
On March 12, 2026, the company announced it would be merging with Astound Broadband. The combined company will be majority-owned by investment company Stonepeak with Alphabet retaining a minority stake. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026.
Services
gFiber offers three symmetrical speed internet options as of January 2025. They are called Core, Home, and Edge.
gFiber in the past offered five options, depending on location: Fiber 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 5 Gig, 8 Gig and an option for home phone service. All speed tiers included one terabyte of storage on Google Drive service. Plan CoreFiber 2 Gig (legacy)HomeFiber 5 Gig (legacy)Edge Internet bandwidth (download) 1 Gbit/s2 Gbit/s3 Gbit/s5 Gbit/s8 Gbit/s Internet bandwidth (upload) 1 Gbit/s1 Gbit/s (2 Gbit/s select markets)3 Gbit/s5 Gbit/s8 Gbit/s Construction fee NoneNoneNoneNoneNone Monthly recurring cost $70$100$100$125$150 Storage included None1TB Google DriveNone1TB Google DriveNone Hardware included Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6E router Up to 1 Mesh ExtenderWi-Fi 6 router 1 Mesh ExtenderMulti-Gig Wi-Fi 7 router Up to 2 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Extenders
Battery Backup (optional)Wi-Fi 6 router Includes up to 2 Mesh ExtendersMulti-Gig Wi-Fi 7 router Up to 2 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Extenders
Battery Backup New updated plans and speeds were unveiled in early 2025. 1TB free Google Drive was discontinued. Google also offers free gFiber Internet connectivity in each of its markets to select public and affordable housing properties.
gFiber participated in the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program with discounted rates until its cancellation in June 2024.
In February 2020, gFiber stopped offering TV service directly to new customers. Instead, during the sign-up process for gFiber, customers are presented with promotions for three virtual MVPD services: sister company YouTube TV, as well as FuboTV and (later) Philo. TV service was maintained for existing clients until early 2022.
Distribution To avoid underground cabling complexity for the last mile, gFiber relies on aggregators dubbed Google Fiber Huts.
From these gFiber Huts, the fiber cables travel along utility poles into neighborhoods and homes, and stop at a Fiber Jack (an optical network terminal or ONT) in each home.
The estimated cost of wiring a fiber network like gFiber into a major American city was $1 billion in 2016.
First city selection process
The initial location was chosen following a competitive selection process. Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipients of the service. Google originally stated that they would announce the winner or winners by the end of 2010; however, in mid-December, Google pushed back the announcement to "early 2011" due to the number of applications.
The request form was simple, and some have argued that it was too straightforward. This led to various attention-getting behaviors by those hoping to have their town selected. Some examples are given below: Greenville, South Carolina, utilized 1,000 of their citizens and glow sticks to create "The World's First and Largest People-Powered Google Chain". From an aerial view, the title "Google" was colorfully visible. Topeka, Kansas, temporarily renamed itself "Google". A small plane bearing a banner reading "Will Google Play in Peoria, IL?" flew over the Google campus in Mountain View, California. The mayor of Duluth, Minnesota, jokingly proclaimed that every first-born child will be named either Google Fiber or Googlette Fiber. The city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, dubbed their city, "Rancho Googlemonga". One of the islands in Sarasota, Florida, was temporarily renamed "Google Island". Municipalities and citizens also uploaded YouTube videos to support their bids. Some examples: A YouTube video in support of Sarasota, Florida, used the Bobby McFerrin song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". A video for Sarasota was uploaded through Facebook's video service. Comedian and United States Senator Al Franken made a YouTube video to support the bid of Duluth, Minnesota. Ann Arbor, Michigan, has its own YouTube channel featuring a David Letterman-style Top Ten list delivered by town VIPs such as Mayor John Hieftje and University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman. Ann Arbor also held a city-wide GoogleFest, kicking off with a gathering of hundreds of participants dancing and chanting "Ann Arbor Google Fiber, ain't Nothing any finer."
Operating locations In 2011, Google launched a trial in a residential community of Palo Alto, California. On March 30 of the same year, Kansas City, Kansas, was selected as the first city to receive gFiber. In 2013, Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, were announced as expansion cities for gFiber on April 9 and 17 respectively. Texas Austin San Antonio Utah Logan Provo Salt Lake City Washington Seattle Nebraska Bellevue Omaha North Carolina Charlotte The Triangle Wilmington (upcoming as of 2026) Nevada Las Vegas (launched March 2026) South Carolina Fort Mill Tega Cay Tennessee Franklin Murfreesboro Nashville Smyrna Illinois Chicago Idaho Pocatello lowa Council Bluffs Des Moines Norwalk (upcoming as of 2026) West Des Moines Kansas/Missouri Kansas City Lawrence (upcoming as of 2026) Jefferson City Colorado Adams County (upcoming as of 2026) Broomfield County (upcoming as of 2026) Douglas County (upcoming as of 2026) Denver Golden (upcoming as of 2026) Lakewood Westminster Wheat Ridge (upcoming as of 2026) Florida Miami Georgia Atlanta Alabama Huntsville Arizona Chandler Mesa Queen Creek Tempe (upcoming as of 2026) California Oakland Orange County San Diego San Francisco
Stanford University In summer 2011, Google launched a free trial of its forthcoming fiber service in one residential community near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri
Google found that affluent neighborhoods in Kansas City signed up for the faster service while those in poorer neighborhoods did not sign up for even the free option. In response to this digital divide, Google sent a team of 60 employees to the underserved areas to promote the gFiber service. Additionally, Google offered micro-grants to community organizations that want to start up digital literacy programs in Kansas City.
The following are chronological announcements of service in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Neighborhoods are said to be selected based on demand:Google Gets Into the Cable TV Business, for Real , All Things Digital, July 26, 2012. Kansas City, Kansas – On March 30, 2011, Kansas City, Kansas, was selected from over 1,100 applicants to be the first Google Fiber community. Kansas City, Missouri – On May 17, 2011, Google announced the decision to include Kansas City, Missouri, thus offering service to both sides of the state line. The network became available to residents in September 2012. Olathe, Kansas – On March 19, 2013, Google announced that the project would be expanded to Olathe. North Kansas City, Missouri – On April 19, 2013, Google announced that they were to begin a 20-year lease on dark fiber in the existing LiNKCity fiber network in North Kansas City. The original news article was incomplete, and later articles clarified the lease. Independent of Google's network, the system in North Kansas City will also be upgraded to gigabit capacity and managed by a local company based out of North Kansas City.
Shawnee, Kansas – May 2, 2013 Raytown, Missouri – May 3, 2013 Grandview, Missouri – May 7, 2013 Gladstone, Missouri – May 13, 2013 Raytown, Missouri – May 22, 2013 Lee's Summit, Missouri – June 21, 2013 Mission, Kansas – June 27, 2013 Prairie Village, Kansas – August 5, 2013 "Prairie Village approves deal for Google Fiber" , Jonathan Bender, Kansas City Star, August 5, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2013. Leawood, Kansas – August 19, 2013 – (cancelled July 24, 2014) Merriam, Kansas – August 26, 2013 Roeland Park, Kansas – September 3, 2013 Mission Hills, Kansas – September 9, 2013 Fairway, Kansas – September 9, 2013 Lenexa, Kansas – September 17, 2013
Google placed deployment in Overland Park, Kansas, on indefinite hold in October 2013, following delays by the City Council over concerns about whether an indemnification clause that Google required might force the city to repair any damage caused by the project. As of July 2014, Overland Park's City Council had voted on a deal that would allow for Google Fiber. Soon after, the city appeared on gFiber's website.
Austin, Texas On April 9, 2013, it was announced that Austin, Texas, would become a gFiber City. On October 15, 2014, it was announced that Austin signups for gFiber would start in December 2014. On December 3, 2014, Google started taking registrations from residents and small businesses. The Google Fiber store in Austin was closed by 2023; however, the buildout continued in the city. 5 Gig launched in the Austin Market on August 21, 2023.
Utah