Google Fiber cites San Jose as next 1 Gbps FTTH stop

Google Fiber (NASDAQ: GOOG) is in the process of seeking permission from San Jose city council to build two "fiber huts," signaling that the Silicon Valley city could be the next stop on its FTTH journey.

The service provider hasn't been willing to talk about a potential San Jose build, but city officials told The San Jose Mercury News that an official announcement could happen in November.

However, details about when and what parts of the city would be able to initially get the service has not been revealed yet. In the markets where it has launched service such as Kansas City, Mo., Google fiber is initially launched in select neighborhoods where demand is high, which it calls "fiberhoods."

According to the San Jose Mercury News report, city documents show that it proposed to build fiber huts to house its fiber cables on Santa Teresa Boulevard, near Thornwood Drive as well as on Bird Avenue, near Virginia Street. It also plans to build an additional eight fiber huts.

Under its plan, Google would install 2,300 miles of fiber cables, with 1,340 miles buried underground and 960 miles of aerial plant leveraging the city's existing utility poles. An environmental analysis of the Internet giant's proposal illustrated its plans would have no large environmental impact. To build the network, it will use existing roads, underground utility poles and water, gas and electricity lines.

If it does bring FTTH to San Jose, Google Fiber would have the largest cities where it offers its 1 Gbps service.

However, it will face off with incumbent telco AT&T (NYSE: T), which plans to bring its 1 Gbps GigaPower service to San Jose over the next few months.

For its part, AT&T told the San Jose Mercury News that it welcomes Google Fiber's entry into the San Jose market.

"Even before Google Fiber took off, we've been wanting to expand to San Jose and other major cities," said Leland Kim, an AT&T spokesman. "We welcome competition. It's good for our customers and pushes all of us to step up our game."

Google Fiber is only available in a handful of cities, including Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.; and Provo, Utah. It also has plans to launch service in three other other major cities -- Nashville, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.

For more:
- San Jose Mercury News has this article

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