Google has recently announced that Google Fiber is shutting down its fiber-based network on April 15 in Louisville.
One of the problems Google had in Louisville was the micro-trenching, where their trenches were too shallow and ended up exposing the fiber to environmental conditions. They initially started building the two (2) inch trenches so that construction could be completed in five (5) months. A Google Fiber spokesperson told CNET “the problems in Louisville were unique to the construction method it used there, which involved digging trenches on the edges of roads that were two inches deep and filling them with rubbery liquid that turns solid.” The company thought this method was going to be faster and cheaper, but unfortunately, it did not work out as planned.
In other places, the company changed the method by digging deeper so cables won’t be exposed to the elements. If the company ever decides to come back to Louisville, they would have to rebuild the whole network. However, Google insists that is not in the future plans as of now as stated in their recent blog. “We’re not living up to the high standards we set for ourselves, or the standards we’ve demonstrated in other Fiber cities. We would need to essentially rebuild our entire network in Louisville to provide the great service that Google Fiber is known for, and that’s just not the right business decision for us.”
Google Fiber will remain in the ten other places that include Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Orange County, California; Salt Lake City/Provo, Utah, and Austin.
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