Google is shuttering its Google Fiber in Louisville on April 15, but the company said the move won’t affect other cities where its internet service is available.
“Innovating means learning, and sometimes, unfortunately, you learn by failing,” Google wrote in a Thursday blog post announcing the closure. “In Louisville, we’ve encountered challenges that have been disruptive to residents and caused service issues for our customers.”
Google Fiber came to Louisville in 2017 to considerable fanfare. The company had hoped to attract Internet users with ultra-fast speeds and quality service. But things changed after the company faced the immense cost of laying down fiber to build its network. Google tried a technique called “shallow trenching” to lay fiber just a few inches under the ground to reduce costs, but that didn’t work either.
The company said that in order to stay in Louisville, it would “need to essentially rebuild our entire network” in the city. It wasn’t ready to make that business decision.
Looking ahead, Google Fiber will continue to invest in its network in the other cities it’s available. The company added in a tweet that it’s “connecting new customers every day” in those cities.
Google said that in Louisville it will “work with our customers and partners to minimize disruption” after the service is turned off..