Google Fiber is expanding in Arizona. Here's what to know

Fiber optic cable internet service is on the rise, with Google Fiber rapidly expanding into metro Phoenix cities.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed cities and internet service providers the need to bring broadband connectivity as more people turned to working from home.

That launched a race among cities to seek fiber optic networks. Cities need to approve a measure that allows networks to use the city right-of-way to install its infrastructure on city streets.

Google Fiber first announced it would launch in Arizona in 2022 and has recently begun construction in Queen Creek, the third Arizona city to get it.

Google Fiber is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the umbrella company for other Google companies.

The company digs a shallow trench nearly 2 inches wide along the street to lay down the fiber optic cable.

Fiber internet is viewed as a better alternative to cable internet because it uses fiber-optic cables to send data through thin strands of fiberglass at nearly the speed of light, compared to using slower copper wires to deliver internet.

Service plans start at $70 per month for 1 gigabit per second of download and upload speed.

The second tier is 3 gigabits per second of download and upload speed for $100 a month.

A $150-a-month plan offers up to 8 gigabits per second of download and upload speed.

Google Fiber's 1-gigabit plan can download a movie in 56.9 seconds or a 10-gigabyte game in 1.5 minutes.

Google Fiber offers the highest gigabit service in the industry, next to Optium, USA TODAY reported.

According to Speedtest.net, the average U.S. download speed as of April 2025 was 291.18 Mbps. Google Fiber's download speed for the 1 gigabit service is 1000 Mbps.

Interested customers can go to the Google Fiber website and check the availability in their area.

If the service is not online in your community, you can submit your email address for future updates.

Google Fiber first went online in west Mesa in March 2023, nearly a year after the City Council approved an ordinance to allow the company to dig micro trenches in its right-of-ways.

The company also opened its first office in the state, in Mesa near Alma School Road and Rio Salado Parkway.

More recently, the internet service went online for Chandler residents in December.

Queen Creek is expected to see Google Fiber go online in early 2026.

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Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at [email protected] or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.