The internet has been around for quite a while now, but, like any technology, it continues to grow and evolve. In recent years, the industry has seen huge strides in both internet speed and reliability. These innovations are necessary to support the increasing complexity of online technology, including new ways of delivering the internet like fiber optics, satellite, wireless, and others.

Google Fiber’s fiber optic network allows us to stay on the cutting edge of internet technology and advancements — it’s the reason why we’re so able to quickly upgrade our networks and provide faster and more reliable service. How does it allow us to be so nimble? 

What is fiber optic internet?

In the last post of our Fast Forward series, Tom talked about how traditional cable internet was built on copper wires which was originally intended to transmit television broadcasts, whereas fiber optic internet is a series of ultra-thin glass tubes that transmits data at the speed of light. 

Part of what makes fiber optic internet unique is its ability to be quickly upgraded in order to accommodate for new technological advancements and the needs of evolving tech in everyday households. When we need to upgrade our network to accommodate increased speed, we don’t have to change the fiber lines in the ground. 

So what needs to be upgraded to make the internet faster?

While we don’t have to change out the fiber optics every time an advancement in speed is made, we do have to swap out the technology in our huts that deliver the “last mile” (i.e. the distance that connects your home or business to the central infrastructure of the internet). We house our equipment in huts and cabinets throughout each metro area. This includes tech like our Passive Optical Networks (PONs).

PONs use fiber optic lines to provide Ethernet connectivity from a main data source to endpoints, like your home network. At Google Fiber, we currently use what is referred to as a GPON in most of our huts. The GPON allows us to offer up to two gigabits download speed and up to one gigabit upload speed to our customers (the “G” in “GPON” stands for “gigabit”). When we started building our network, this was new technology.

But technology rarely stays the “latest” for long. The internet is ready to take its next step, and with that progress comes XGS-PON (x = roman numeral 10, g = gPON, s = symmetrical). Each XGS-PON can provide 64 households with up to 10 gigabit upload and download speeds (yep, symmetrical!). That means in order for us to upgrade our network speeds, we don’t have to go underground or completely rearrange our network, but we do have to switch out our GPON gear for XGS-PON in every hut (like we did in the picture below to start testing this in Kansas City).

What we’re doing now

As you can see, we’re already working behind the scenes to build a network that can stay ahead of demand, both as our speed offerings and as demand for internet bandwidth and speed increases because of new technology, more users and new devices come online. We’re constantly monitoring and planning many months ahead to predict and adapt to the changes in demand on our networks. 

When a lot of people were working, going to school, and doing everything else over the internet from home during the height of the pandemic, internet services needed to adjust. Because we actively monitor our networks for these types of changes (rather than only reacting when things go bad), we actively adjusted our network to meet the new demand of users before you even knew you needed it (read more about that here).

And we’re continuing that proactive approach, even as the world gets “back to the new normal.” Our newest cities are being built with the ability to accommodate the ever increasing speed demands, and we’re updating our networks in all our cities to be able to accelerate as technology continues to evolve. We’re proud to build our networks with the future in mind and a team dedicated to improving our customers’ experience every day.

Posted by Scott Li, Network Engineering Manager,  and Jennifer Poscic, Network Acquisition & Service Delivery Manager

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Many view the internet as a nebulous cloud.  For the most part, it's invisible yet it enables us to do things that even just ten years ago we never would have dreamed of doing  (like VR in your own home, for example). At Google Fiber, we think the internet is pretty magical too — but we also know all the intricacies that it takes to make that magic happen. Though it’s often said a magician should never reveal their secrets, this is one (or a few) we’re happy to share.

Not all internet is created equal

There’s more than one way to get internet in your home or business — and not all internet is created the same. Traditional cable internet was built on copper wires that, by initial intent, was designed to bring you television. From the start Google Fiber was designed to bring you Internet - fiber optic Internet. Fiber internet is a series of ultra-thin glass tubes that transmit data at the speed of light. One of the benefits of fiber is that the material withstands the challenges of time, distance and natural elements, and it can be upgraded (higher speeds) quickly by changing the optical equipment at the end points.  In addition, Fiber is not as reliant on commercial power to keep signals moving through the plant nor as susceptible to commercial power outages taking down whole parts of the plant.

But not all fiber internet is built the same. What makes Google Fiber different from other fiber internet providers lies not in the types of fiber we use, but in the way we design our core network and the operational disciplines we use that focus on the Customer Experience.

First, we design a core backbone architecture (think city to city) that has multiple layers of redundancy to provide a high level of network reliability.  Keep reading for more details on how this works.

Understanding network redundancy

Reliability is a major consideration in what Google Fiber customers look for in their internet.  Google Fiber’s network offers 99.9%* reliable connection, which is in large part due to the way our backbone network is built and managed.  Our core backbone network is designed with multiple layers of resiliency.  This makes it a lot more likely that you’ll stay online, even if there is a failure or event in the backbone of the network. Making sure you stay connected is at the core of what we do.

Content delivery -  peer-to-peer and localized caching

Another way that we ensure our Customers get the speed and content they need is by large scale peering and localized caching within our network.  We peer directly with largest media and content providers (in fact, we’ll peer with anyone who is willing to peer with us, and we don’t use peering for revenue generation); this allows us to obtain and deliver content very quickly.  Minimizing latency is just as important as network reliability in our book.  In addition, our localized caching (storage) allows us to store popular content close to your home, so when you request a show or movie, you’re able to watch it in the highest quality without buffering or delays. 

Finally (and perhaps most important) are our Operational disciplines

At Google Fiber, we place the utmost importance on Customer Experience.  Changes, upgrades or expansion of the network are done with the Customer Experience at the forefront of our decision making process.  All proposed changes are pre validated in our labs.  Once those changes / improvements are readied for production, strict protocols are followed to ensure we protect the reliability of the network and most importantly, the Customer Experience.  We have a highly disciplined change management process and we continually measure, study and improve to drive higher reliability.

So no, the internet is not actually magic. In reality, it’s a bunch of people working together behind the scenes to create the technology combined with the operational disciplines needed to maintain the top performance and reliability. But at the end of the day, if your internet is working the way it should, it should feel magical. 

Posted by Thomas Feilmeier, Director of Network Engineering & Operations

In the next installment of our small business series, Will Roman, Founder and Chief Texan at Chisos Boots, takes us through how a homegrown company based in Austin is taking the cowboy boot industry by the (long)horns with the power of the internet. 

With the help of the internet, your local business can now take on international brands. For those in recent generations, the power of the world wide web — and reliable access to it — are often glossed over. But the internet’s impact cannot be overstated.

Countless things that used to require large capital investments — from storefronts to fulfillment software to even phone systems — can now be acquired by mom and pop shops at much more approachable rates.

Our small boot company utilizes Google Fiber internet service to create an outsized impact on the market. Here are a few tactics that have earned us a growing reputation as the best cowboy boots around.

STOREFRONT IMPRESSION MATTERS

We’re based in Austin, Texas, but reach customers around the state, the country and internationally.

We couldn’t afford a multi-million dollar headquarters building, but we did build a website that matches — and in many ways, exceeds — those of much larger boot brands. With e-commerce slated to command nearly 25% of all retail sales across the country, a significant number of your potential customers will be choosing between you and your competitors based on your websites. So make sure your digital storefront reflects your brand and tells your story. 

Not only does online software manage our website, it also manages our physical back-of-house and fulfillment operations, which is a radical departure from how we operated even a decade ago.

SHARE THE STORY

Access to an audience (really almost any audience) is radically easier than ever before. It may be cliche, but your blog, social media and even email all enable you to reach millions of people. 

Speaking to an audience in the millions used to require an advertising budget of dollars to match. With a fraction of that amount of budget, and a dose of creativity, you can now share your story with the entire world online.

Your unique voice and small business perspective are an advantage. In our experience, customers love seeing behind-the-scenes content from small teams, and love people who have a point of view. These are things that big corporations have more of a challenge with due to  their size. Use your size and accessibility to your teams to your advantage.

ONLINE IS THE NEW REAL LIFE

People do their research online, they find communities to interact with and they certainly entertain themselves online. Small businesses can be nimble and excel at leveraging these new habits.

The Chisos Community group on Facebook brings fellow customers and boot enthusiasts together. Reviews are shared, questions are helpfully answered. And group video chats are organized to connect with others.

Livestreams let you talk directly to your audience, and then share the recording to thousands more. We host large gatherings at our headquarters in Austin, but then involve others across the world by utilizing our Google Fiber connection.

The big companies might have more resources, but the internet enables small businesses to truly compete and thrive.

Posted by Will Roman, Founder and Chief Texan, Chisos Boot Company

Google Fiber is taking part in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program and wants to make sure that all eligible new and existing customers are aware about this opportunity to get up to $30 toward your monthly internet bill. 

In order to participate, customers must first qualify through the FCC and then fill out the Google Fiber ACP Subsidy form to let us know you have enrolled in the program. You can find more information about how this program works and the process to ensure the benefit is applied to your monthly bill on our website.

Google Fiber is excited to be part of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which makes it more affordable to get online wherever you live. As a company, we’re continuing to work toward helping more people access fast, reliable internet.

We know that Google Fiber customers want more flexibility and control in accessing the streaming content they want. Our goal as customers transition to streaming has always been to help them navigate the different options and find what works best for them, from devices to content providers. This was potentially a major change that could affect the daily habits of our customers, and we wanted to make it as painless as possible. 

One definite pain point was live sports. No matter where they live, people are devoted to their teams (yes, we see you KC Royals and Atlanta Braves fans!) and many want to be able to watch as many games as possible. This requires access to specific regional sports networks (RSNs) in most places, many of which do not have wide streaming distribution availability. 

We want to make it easier for customers to find their team (and other content). Today, I’m excited to announce that we’ve added DIRECTV STREAM to the line-up of streaming options available to existing customers. DIRECTV STREAM features other live TV options, in addition to live sports and On-Demand content and new subscribers receive unlimited cloud DVR. Additionally, as of today, DIRECTV STREAM is currently offering a 5-day free trial to all their new customers. 

Posted by Liz Hsu, Director, Product Strategy