Google Fiber Road Trip

Interesting musings from Wells Fargo Securities analysts after a road trip to Google Fiber Space in Kansas City this week. The Fiber Space is open to the public, nothing in the analyst note came from Google mgmt. “We came away believing that Google Fiber is NOT just a ‘gimmick’ to force the incumbents to increase speeds (which ultimately helps GOOG’s core search business) and is more profitable than we initially thought.

That said, the roll-out is complex and time-consuming; and the current target markets are not of concern,” the analysts said. Google is contemplating expanding the service to 34 cities in 9 metro areas. It’s expected to announce a new launch site by year-end. Cable should keep an eye on other areas that Google Fiber is testing, with Wells Fargo analysts identifying the small business segment as an area to watch. “There are also internal discussions [regarding] WiFi, but there are no formal plans yet. The one area Google Fiber is not likely to target is home security given a fragmented market coupled with Google’s lack of a phone product,” they said. On Mon, Google Fiber began signing up Johnson County, KS, for the service. It also is giving residents in its original fiberhoods of Kansas City, MO, and Kansas City, KS, another chance to sign up for the service through Aug 7.