The City of Decatur just posted this on The Decatur Minute in time with Google’s unveiling of Google Fiber in Atlanta…
It’s official, Google Fiber is coming to metro Atlanta. Google will be working closely with Decatur and other local city leaders on the next steps to build a brand new fiber-optic network capable of delivering gigabit speeds.
“We are here because of the hard work, passion and commitment of the city and its leaders,” said Kevin Lo, Director of Business Operations for Google Fiber. “The next chapter of the Internet will be written at gigabit speeds.”
Google Fiber is an Internet and TV service that provides Internet speeds up to one gigabit per second, along with hundreds of HD TV channels. Google Fiber is currently available in Kansas City, Provo, Utah and Austin, Texas.
“The City of Decatur is thrilled to be one of the metro Atlanta cities that will get connected to Google Fiber,” said Mayor Jim Baskett. “We are a community of homes, schools and places of worship. And we know that Google Fiber’s incredibly fast internet will benefit our community greatly. The entire city looks forward to partnering with Google to make the process of installing Google Fiber as easy and seamless as possible.”
The next stage of work includes designing and planning a new fiber-optic network down to a very detailed level. After this process, which will take several months, Google Fiber will begin constructing the network.
For more information about this announcement, visit the Google Fiber blog. You can also sign up here and be the first to get updates.
FAQs from Google
Now that you’ve announced Google Fiber is coming, what happens next?
In order to make the construction of Google Fiber as smooth and speedy as possible, Google will be working with city leaders over the next several months to complete a detailed design of a fiber network — an important step before starting construction, since building a network from scratch is a “measure-twice-cut-once” type of project.
Do you have a date when Google Fiber will start service?
It will take some time before Google Fiber starts signups. In the next several months they will be working with city leaders to design the network. Once there is a detailed plan in place, they can begin initial construction.
You mentioned that the next step is “designing your network”. What does that entail, exactly?
Google Fiber needs to build thousands of miles of fiber throughout the city – but they can’t just put it wherever they want. They take all of the information submitted during the planning process to create a comprehensive plan for building their fiber network. The design helps enable Google Fiber to do construction more efficiently and smoothly once they get going. Some concrete steps they will take during this next phase:
Use the infrastructure data that the city has shared to create a map of where they can put fiber (e.g., existing utility poles, conduit) and areas to avoid (e.g., water, sewer and electric lines), as well as the most efficient sequence of construction within the city.
A team of surveyors and engineers hits the streets to fill in any missing details. You may see crews out doing detailed surveying work — lots of staring up at poles and even a bit of geological rock-testing.
They take this information back to the office and create detailed network design maps, do work with the city to locate network infrastructure and fiber huts, and start to prepare permitting packages.
Then they design the network, street by street.Now that you’ve announced Google Fiber is coming, what happens next?
In order to make the construction of Google Fiber as smooth and speedy as possible, Google will be working with city leaders over the next several months to complete a detailed design of a fiber network — an important step before starting construction, since building a network from scratch is a “measure-twice-cut-once” type of project.
Do you have a date when Google Fiber will start service?
It will take some time before Google Fiber starts signups. In the next several months they will be working with city leaders to design the network. Once there is a detailed plan in place, they can begin initial construction.
You mentioned that the next step is “designing your network”. What does that entail, exactly?
Google Fiber needs to build thousands of miles of fiber throughout the city – but they can’t just put it wherever they want. They take all of the information submitted during the planning process to create a comprehensive plan for building their fiber network. The design helps enable Google Fiber to do construction more efficiently and smoothly once they get going. Some concrete steps they will take during this next phase:
- Use the infrastructure data that the city has shared to create a map of where they can put fiber (e.g., existing utility poles, conduit) and areas to avoid (e.g., water, sewer and electric lines), as well as the most efficient sequence of construction within the city.
- A team of surveyors and engineers hits the streets to fill in any missing details. You may see crews out doing detailed surveying work — lots of staring up at poles and even a bit of geological rock-testing.
- They take this information back to the office and create detailed network design maps, do work with the city to locate network infrastructure and fiber huts, and start to prepare permitting packages.
- Then they design the network, street by street.
If you’re wondering about the cost of Google Fiber, see our summary of cost and options, HERE.
Photo courtesy of the Decatur Minute
If I’m reading this right, it’s not actually coming to “Atlanta” at all. Is that the case?
“Mayor Kasim Reed announced today that Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta. Google Fiber is ultra-high speed broadband internet access that will be available to residential customers in the City of Atlanta and nine metropolitan Atlanta area cities.”
Nope. Here’s the list from Google’s support page… https://fiber.google.com/cities/atlanta/support/
Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, College Park, Decatur, East Point, Hapeville, Sandy Springs, Smyrna
Ahh, thanks. The way they featured the list on that banner in the photo is confusing.
I agree.
Google has negative aptitude for simple communication IMO. The most mundane, you-would-think-simple aspects of their FAQs and other available info for their online offerings are amazingly opaque.
Yes. If only they could be as forthcoming as Comcast…. 😉
Several months before they begin construction. So, what is everyone’s best guess? 2-3 years before service is up and running?
I hope it takes 23 months. that’s how long I have left on my recently negotiated Comcast Xfinity package with 50Mbps speed. It’s plenty fast now, but by then I’m sure I’ll want faster.
What the heck do you do with 50Mbps ?
Don’t ask – we probably don’t want to know 😉
same as I did with 6Mbps connectivity, just much faster
two teenagers streaming games, HD TV, Spotify and plain old web surfing sucks up a lot of bandwidth
Go to Google’s Fiber page. They have an interactive section that shows the comparison of 50MBps against 1Gb. Reminds me of the old comparisons of cable to dial-up.
I saw a fellow with a measuring wheel out a few weeks ago obviously measuring distance between utility poles. Maybe that had something to do with this.
Related: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/01/26/how-the-cable-industry-is-trying-to-reshape-the-economics-of-the-internet/
Fiber hut? Pics please.
Gonna get some stuffed-crust bandwidth.
Then immediately cue sub-thread about the color scheme and other design elements.
Paging Akbar & Jeff.
In following the timeline for previous Google Fiber rollouts in other cities, it’s typically a year from announcement as a Google Fiber city to beginning installation of service. I’m hoping Decatur is one of the first cities in the Atlanta area to go live, it has to be easier because we’re a small city and i hope there’d be less red tape than in City of Atlanta.
There should be several redundant lines of dark fiber under DeKalb Ave. all the way into Atlanta. I remember back in the late nineties during the “Internet Bubble” that they seemed to be laying six or eight tubes at once and the drive was a hassle for a long time.
The City arborists better be on the case here. I can only assume they’ll be jack and boring the conduit, but if they open trench, a lot of street trees are gonna be toast. Unless its going to go up on the utility poles, which is just what we need, another ugly utility.
Bye, bye Comcast. Won’t miss at you at all.