The Google Fiber train continues: Next stop, Salt Lake City

By Christine Persaud March 24, 2015

google fiber salt lake city fibre expansionmap mar2015 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google has confirmed that it will be expanding its Gigabit FiberInternet service to customers in Salt Lake City, Utah. The news was announced in a blog post by Devin Baer, Associate City Manager for Google Fiber in Salt Lake City.

The 1,000 Megabit per second service, which is light years ahead of most U.S. Internet connections that often top out at 25-50 Mbps, will provide residents in the mountainous, ski slope-laden metropolitan region with the opportunity to enhance their businesses, and explore new methods of collaboration.

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Already, Google notes that its Fiber service has been used by organizations in other regions of the state, including the United Way of Utah County, which has used it to promote new digital literacy programs; and Now I Can, which has leveraged Fiber to connect parents and their children who are undergoing physical therapy in Provo. Provo is one of the first cities listed in Google’s Fiber expansion, which began with Kansas City in 2012.

This is great news for customers who have, up until now, had limited options for broadband from conglomerates like Comcast and Time Warner Cable that limit Internet speeds. Google Fiber, on the other hand, will offer uber-fast speeds for those looking to engage in data-hungry tasks online, like streaming and downloading movies and music, and gaming. And consumers and businesses, alike, can benefit.

The above noted examples illustrate how some businesses are already making use of the speeds, and how it can have real world implications beyond our vast entertainment desires. Google says its Fiber boasts speeds that are up to 100 times faster than the current average in the U.S., and perhaps just as important for high-content businesses, the service also offers upload speeds up to 200 Mbps.

Google Fiber recently announced plans to move into the metro areas of Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham, and the service broke ground in Austin, TX last year in a live event that allowed us to try out the service first hand.

Earlier this year, Google also hinted at cities like San Antonio, Phoenix, San Jose, and Portland (the home of Digital Trends’ headquarters) as being candidates for Fiber. A spokesperson tells us that they are working with city leaders in those areas now, and hope to have updates “later this year.”

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Christine Persaud

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Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…

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