Google Fiber holds groundbreaking in Chandler; could other Valley cities see service soon?
CHANDLER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Google Fiber held a groundbreaking ceremony in Chandler on Monday as the high-speed internet service provider works to deliver fiber-optic service to the city’s residents.
Earlier this year, Arizona’s Family reported that the tech giant reached a license agreement with the city of Chandler on the heels of the ISP’s planned expansions into Mesa and other U.S. cities. Google Fiber offers 1-gig and 2-gig services with symmetrical download and upload speeds.
In recent months and years, new ISPs have set their sights in metro Phoenix, including AT&T Fiber, which has actively been advertising in Mesa, where service has become available. Wyyerd Fiber was recently launched in Surprise and is working on fiber construction in Buckeye, El Mirage, Goodyear and Sun City West. Another provider, WeLink, has been increasing its service areas, which currently cover portions of Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert.
Could more Valley cities join Google Fiber or another fiber-optic provider?
In 2014, Google tried to bring fiber to Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale. Although Google had secured the proper licenses, it abandoned its plans after Cox Communications filed a lawsuit against the city of Tempe, claiming city officials created a new license category more favorable than what Cox is required to hold.
Lumen (better known as CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber in selected areas) and Cox Communications, Arizona’s legacy phone and cable providers, have been working hard to win over and keep existing customers. In June, Cox increased speeds to its Valley customers, upgraded its most popular tier to 500Mbps, and increased upload speed capacity.
The top three wireless providers, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, have also launched Home 5G internet options with limited availability across metro Phoenix.
Google hopes to cover the entire city of Chandler with fiber-optic service by 2028 when it is expected to complete its rollout in Mesa.
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