As a gamer (a new gamer, but a gamer nonetheless), I know how having a strong internet connection matters to every aspect of gaming. From waiting for an update to download, to playing in a battle royale with friends, to live streaming gameplay, even the seemingly smallest details of your internet connection are critical to playing your best. So, when I got a chance to talk to some Google Fiber customers for our latest campaign, I knew we could trust gamers to highlight what matters with their internet. 

We reached out to gamers, streamers, and game developers on social media who were already using Google Fiber 1 Gig. Then, we hooked them up with Google Fiber 2 Gig and a year free of service to share their insights and experiences gaming over our fastest internet plan.

That’s how we met Jordan, a gamer, streamer, and professional goofball (his words) who lives in Kansas City, MO. And Morgan, a gamer, streamer, makeup artist, and plant mom who lives in Charlotte, NC. And Pathra, a gamer, streamer, and dog mom who lives in Atlanta, GA. And Kartik, a game developer, gamer, and home cook who lives in Atlanta, GA. (And a bunch of other fantastic gamers in all of our cities that we wish we could ALSO have a camera crew follow around.)

All of them were excited to share their experience having Google Fiber as their internet company — because having fast, reliable internet makes a tangible difference in their professional and personal lives. So yes, gamers are internet connoisseurs. But they’re also diverse, multi-faceted, and have incredible stories to tell, even beyond gaming. We hope you’ll enjoy hearing from them as much as we did.

Jordan and Kartik’s stories are now live on YouTube, and keep an eye out over the next few weeks to learn more about Morgan and Pathra. Follow us on social media (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) for updates on when these go live.

Posted by Talia Bootz, Google Fiber Creative and Social Content Manager 

We’ve been checking in with our teams across the country as we build out our networks in each city. Next stop — San Antonio! 

Going faster

We’ve been patiently waiting in San Antonio for our chance for 2 Gig, and we’re excited to say that the wait is over! Customers in many parts of our San Antonio service area can now sign up for 2 Gig service, offering up to 2000 mbps downloads and up to 1000 mbps uploads for $100 a month, with no annual contracts, no data caps, with installation and equipment included. (Currently, we’re working on the technical requirements to make 2 Gig available in some parts of our San Antonio network that were built first.)

Growing faster

This year, working closely with our local government partners, we’ve picked up the pace of our construction efforts significantly. Currently, residents in parts of the west, east, north, and northwest sides of San Antonio can sign up for Google Fiber service, along with those living in apartment and condo buildings in the Medical Center area. Construction crews are at work to fill in areas on the northeast, northwest, and inner westside, including Leon Valley, St. Mary’s University, Stone Oak, and Encino areas. Once we’ve completed these portions, we’ll continue building out across the city including communities on the south and west sides.

Giving back

Even before we first offered internet service to customers in San Antonio four years ago, we’ve been working with local organizations to address digital equity and inclusion efforts in the city. We recently announced an expansion of our support of Libraries without Borders’ Wash and Learn Initiative to a second laundromat, and we’re excited to be able to extend this even further, with new locations on the west and south sides of San Antonio coming soon.

This year, Google Fiber is also sponsoring the San Antonio Public Library’s NTEN Digital Inclusion Fellow, Angelina Cortes. Angelina will spend a year focusing on growing the library’s digital inclusion efforts.

Next steps

During the pandemic, we’ve all learned how critical quality internet is to quality of life. We hear you, San Antonio. You want more fiber, and you want it now. Our construction teams are moving steadily, and we intend to keep building. In fact, we expect 2021 to be the biggest build year since we started constructing our network in San Antonio.

Want the latest information on service availability in your area and what’s happening with Google Fiber? Sign up for our email list.

Posted by Mark Hendrix, Head of Sales; Jhon Guarin, Head of Technical Operations; and John-Michael Cortez, Government and Community Affairs Manager

Over seven years ago, we started serving our first customers in Atlanta. Since then, we’ve been growing our service area — though slower than some (including us!) would have liked. Lately, we’ve been making progress on finding ways to connect more Atlantans to fast, reliable internet. Right now Google Fiber is available to tens of thousands of Atlantans from College Park to Woodstock, concentrated in apartments and condos, and we’ve recently started actively expanding our network in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Growing as Atlanta grows

Metro Atlanta is one of the fastest growing areas of the country and much of this growth is through new apartment communities. Until now, Google Fiber focused on expanding where Atlanta is growing, and focusing on bringing service to dense, multi-family apartments across the city. To do this, we used a different kind of build in Atlanta than in other Google Fiber cities, leasing unused fiber from 3rd parties who specialize in providing the sort of flexibility required to serve such a broad geographic footprint. As a result, our service area has been focused on hundreds of multifamily communities across Metro Atlanta. While we continue to expand our multi-family presence (if you’re an Atlanta property owner or manager who would like to get your community signed up for Google Fiber, let us know), we’re super excited to have construction crews building out our network in more neighborhoods in Atlanta.

We have been serving a significant number of single family homes from Sweet Auburn to Garden Hills, and we’re currently finishing our construction in those neighborhoods to be able to offer quality internet to more residents in those areas. And we’re not stopping there! Once we’ve completed those builds, construction efforts will move north across the city. Keep an eye out for door hangers in your neighborhood or sign-up for our email list for the latest on our activities in Atlanta.

Serving our community in the time of COVID

The last year was an incredibly trying one for all of us. Google Fiber has always worked with local community organizations to help advance digital literacy, inclusion, and equity as well as racial justice. This includes The Southern Center for Human Rights, 100 Black Men of Greater Atlanta, The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, and the DeKalb County Public Library system. We’re working to make sure that in Atlanta and beyond, residents have access to the necessary hardware and skills to be able to take advantage of the opportunities online. Access to the internet alone is not enough. 

As the city works toward recovery, we’ll continue to look for new ways to help Atlanta address digital equity issues and to connect as many customers to fast, reliable internet. We’ve got a lot more in store for Atlanta. If you are interested in helping connect more Atlantans to great internet, consider joining our team!

Posted by Spencer Walston, Head of Sales; Lisa Speller-Martone, Head of Metro Technical Operations; and Daynise Joseph, Government & Community Affairs Manager