After a slow and limited start, Google Fiber is expanding its footprint into more San Antonio neighborhoods. But access to this technology comes with some growing pains. Google Fiber crews need to take over sometimes busy streets to bring fiber broadband to your home. I’ve witnessed work taking place in areas of 78209 and Monte Vista. Once they enter a neighborhood, it takes about three to four weeks to finish the job. A large machine cuts a micro trench in the street, slowing down traffic. Next, crews bury the fiber cable, cover the trench, then seal it.
From here, the fiber line moves to various relay points, often referred to as nodes, buried in the ground. This part of the construction takes place on the utility easement section of residential lots. The Google Fiber nodes are buried in the ground and protected by a plastic box that looks like a sprinkler container. These relay points distribute the main fiber line to individual homes. I’ve heard some grumblings about the traffic delays and workers intruding on yards. With more than a decade experience in the fiber broadband industry, I think Google Fiber crews were very efficient with this construction phase. I’m sure they’ve learned how to do this faster and better since they first started building out in S.A. a few years ago.
What’s the Big Deal About Fiber?
According to research by Deloitte, the average home now has 22 internet connected devices. Smart TV’s, phones and video game devices are top devices that come to mind. The emergence of the smart home with wireless thermostats, lighting, garage doors means families need a fast and reliable internet connection.
The Fiber Difference
The broadband industry considers Fiber to the Home (FTTH) the best technology to meet our digital dependent lifestyles. It offers many advantages over older broadband technologies. FTTH was the first technology to deliver 1 gigabit speeds and the first with equal upload and download speeds. The industry calls this symmetrical broadband. This feature is especially beneficial for the new wave of remote workers. These professionals often send large files to their office and beyond. Uploading at fast symmetrical 1 Gbps speeds lets you move on to the next task or game with minimal buffering.
Industry experts call fiber broadband “future proof.” That’s because technology that creates the ability for faster speeds will mostly come through software and hardware upgrades made at an operations center. This eliminates costly and intrusive construction in the field. Some broadband providers already offer 10 Gbps. Google Fiber advertises 2 gigs is available in San Antonio. Internet-dependent smart home gadgets are invented seemingly every day. The need for faster and reliable broadband is necessary to support and fiber broadband can deliver.
Does FTTH Add More Worth to Your Home?
The Fiber to the Home Council reported in 2019 that FTTH adds an average of 3.1 percent to the value of a home. Two San Antonio real estate appraisers told me told me they don’t factor fiber broadband into the value of a home. I couldn’t find any data to support that home buyers would purchase a fiber broadband connected home over one with fiber internet not available. I know during my career in the fiber broadband industry, customers with fiber internet connections were happier with their internet service than those who couldn’t get it.
Who Can Get Fiber?
The City of San Antonio’s Fiber for S.A. web page lists Google Fiber and AT&T as fiber broadband providers. Astound and Spectrum both offer up to 1 gigabit download speeds but with slower upload speeds. These companies don’t clearly state on their websites that FTTH is available in San Antonio. Do an internet search to find internet providers in your area. Each will require an address to let you know what type of broadband technology and speeds they offer in your neighborhood.
Progress Sometimes Takes Patience
The need for speed is necessary to support work from home, video streaming, smart home technology, telemedicine and more. It’s a positive development that more areas of San Antonio are now able to take advantage of Fiber to the Home. So, if traffic slows you down for the sake of fiber broadband expansion, take a deep breath. This too shall pass in relatively little time.
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