Google Fiber previously hailed 2021 as a key year for its network expansion in San Antonio, Texas, but 2022 is shaping up to be all about growing its footprint in the area around Salt Lake City, Utah.
Over the past six months, Google Fiber has struck a series of license agreements with at least five municipalities to build within their borders. These include the communities of Draper, Riverton, South Jordan, Springville and West Jordan. The cities had a collective population of more than 325,000 as of April 2020, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The operator secured franchise agreements with South Jordan and Springville in October 2021. The former is a suburb just south of Salt Lake City while the latter is located about an hour south of the metropolitan area. Construction in Springville was due to begin sometime in 2022, with initial service availability expected to follow a few weeks after the start of work. Work in South Jordan is also expected to kick off sometime this year and be completed within around 18 months.
Its deal with Riverton followed in December. Google Fiber is set to initiate work there in either Q3 or Q4 of this year, with construction expected to be complete within six to eight months.
Google Fiber locked in license agreements with suburbs West Jordan and Draper last month. The city council in West Jordan actually handed Google Fiber the contract rather than pursuing a municipal-owned network or an option like that offered by UTOPIA Fiber. ABC4.com reported construction in West Jordan is set to begin later this year, with the first customers coming online in early 2023.
A Google Fiber representative told officials in Draper it hoped to have a design plan for the city ready by this spring, with work to begin shortly thereafter. The network in Draper will branch off a build Google Fiber is working to complete in Sandy City. Work there began in October 2021 after the operator received approval from Sandy’s city council in May 2021. At a Sandy City council meeting in December, a Google Fiber representative told officials it expected to bring the first customers online there by Q1 2022.
As part of its license agreement with most of the municipalities, Google agreed to pay 2% of gross revenues to each city on a quarterly basis. Officials in Springfield said income from Google Fiber’s payments was expected to total between $50,000 and $150,000 annually.
Google Fiber began taking signups in Salt Lake City in August 2016. By July of last year, a company spokesperson told FOX13 the bulk of its build in the city proper was complete.
In addition to its work in the Salt Lake City Area, Google Fiber is also expected to light up a new network in West Des Moines, Iowa, this year. Mediacom had filed a legal challenge seeking to block Google Fiber’s build there, but the pair settled their dispute in January.