Google hired construction firm Bechtel to help deploy its fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Atlanta. Google said it is building metro fiber rings in all three markets. These rings will give the company the flexibility to launch deployments in additional neighborhoods.
In Atlanta, Google plans to deploy 3,400 miles of fiber that will be attached to more than 100,000 utility poles. This fiber will also be deployed to 23 huts where the company will house the electronics that serve the customers.
Charlotte will have a similar configuration, except that 3,200 miles of fiber will be attached to more than 50,000 utility poles, with the electronics being housed in 19 huts.
In Raleigh-Durham, the company's fiber deployment will involve 5,600 miles of fiber, 50,000 utility poles and 26 huts.
Beyond the huts, distribution fiber will be extended to neighborhood cabinets. From the cabinets, access fiber will transport signals to homes where a network interface unit will be installed on the side of a customer's home that connects to the customer's internal wiring.
Google is using Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) technology for the deployments. GPON is seen as a cost-effective means of deploying FTTP.
Google announced in June that it had begun FTTP deployments in Nashville and Salt Lake City. The company is also offering Internet and TV services via FTTP in Kansas City, Mo.; Austin; and Provo, Utah. Launches are under consideration for San Antonio; Phoenix; San Jose, Calif.; and Portland, Ore.
Google's fiber deployments are prompting other service providers to follow suit. AT&T last week said it would begin deploying fiber in Chicago under the GigaPower brand. At the same time, the carrier also announced an expansion of GigaPower in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
For more:
- see the Facebook page of Google Fiber
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