I know that Google bought a fiber build in Provo. Did they also/just now buy an existing one for SLC? When I was at Neumont, I was sad that the fiber in Sandy didn't come across I-15 to South Jordan.
> Every mile of this super-fast network has to be planned – we can’t just put it anywhere. We use the data shared with us to create a map of where we can build (based on existing utility poles and water, gas, and electricity lines).
> With our plan in place, we start the hard work of stringing and laying thousands of miles of brand new, state-of-the-art fiber optic cable. We will lay enough new fiber in the area to reach from here to Canada and back, and you will see our engineers and crews in the streets for a long time.
So this is definitely a new construction/infrastructure laying project, unlike Provo where it was mostly a purchase of the existing fiber network.
I'm also not sure what network they could even buy in SLC, since as far as I know there is no iProvo-like network there (most fiber is owned by telephone/cable companies who aren't leaving).
What they should do is buy Utopia from Layton city (north of SLC). It is essentially iProvo all over again, and they're even looking to sell it (an Australian company is interested).
So if Google stepped in and purchased Utopia, and built out their SLC network, they would already own a massive swath of northern Utah.
> I'm wondering if they are partnering with XMission.
Very unlikely, as Pete Ashdown (founder/owner) was recently discussing XMission investigating rolling their own fiber until wind of Google Fiber came up:
