Why You Can Trust CNET Google Fiber Is Looking for Organizations to Test Its 20-Gig Internet Speeds
The company wants to add eight partners willing to try some blazing-fast fiber internet.
Google says testers won't be charged for taking part in the trial.
Google Fiber has a new 20-gig internet speed tier and is looking for organizations that can test its full capabilities, the company said in a blog post Monday. Google also said it's expanding its Fiber internet service to Logan, Utah, in 2024. CNET's review of Google Fiber for consumers found it to be more expensive than basic internet services but priced competitively for the speed it delivers (and appealing for its lack of data caps, equipment fees and contract requirements).
Already, Google has been testing the extremely high-speed service with the University of Missouri-Kansas City, testing datasets with the School of Science and Engineering. Now, Google wants some more partners with which it can test this blazing-fast speed.
Google says it's looking for eight organizations, such as businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions, in Austin, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; and Salt Lake City. It's asking those interested to fill out this form, which asks for some basic information, whether there would be a willingness to provide feedback and what benefits might be seen from having such blazing-fast internet.
Locating local internet providers
Organizations accepted will join Google's Trusted Tester program and won't be charged for taking part in the trial.
"We're interested in seeing what people do with this much speed. We know that the future is multigig," said Nick Saporito, head of multigig and commercial product at Google Fiber. "We've seen a strong response to our new 5-gig and 8-gig products, and we want to be sure we can meet the needs of our customers as they grow."
Locating local internet providers
Google's main revenue comes from ads placed against its wildly popular Search service. Even as Search brought in $224 billion in revenue last year, the company continues to expand in other product categories, such as phones, smartwatches, AI and internet. In the nascent days of fiber internet, Google asked the Federal Communications Commission to introduce a "gigabit bill" but ultimately decided to launch its own fiber service in medium-size markets. The interest in super-fast fiber internet led to AT&T and Verizon also offering the service in larger markets. Last year, Google began offering Fiber in new markets after a pause. Earlier this year, Google launched the cheapest 5-gig plan on the market.
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