GFiber Is Merging With Astound Broadband, Likely Expanding to More Areas

GFiber, the rebranded entity formerly known as Google Fiber, is merging with another internet provider. It will expand its fiber service to new areas, the company said. The new independent broadband provider will still called be GFiber. It will merge with New Jersey-based Astound Broadband, with Google parent company Alphabet holding a minority stake in the internet provider. The investment firm Stonepeak, which owns Astound, will be the majority owner.

In its announcement of the merger, GFiber said its executives will lead the internet provider and that it plans to expand the areas its gigabit fiber internet service reaches. Although specific expansion areas were not provided, it’s likely from the language of GFiber’s announcement that it could offer fiber internet services in the future in places where Astound currently does business.

“GFiber will now have the opportunity to provide better internet access to more communities across the country as they combine with Stonepeak’s Astound business, while continuing to provide their award-winning customer experience,” Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer for Alphabet and Google, said in the announcement.

According to the GFiber website, its service is now offered in 19 states, primarily in metro areas. One of GFiber’s chief competitors, AT&T, said this week that it’s investing $250 billion over the next five years, in part to expand its wireless, fiber and satellite internet infrastructure. It’s unclear if GFiber will expand the list of states where it offers service or if pricing and service plans will change at all. A representative for GFiber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In our CNET ranking, GFiber ranks best for gigabit and multigigabit internet speed providers. In our most recent review of the service published last fall, CNET cited fast speeds but limited availability and no budget pricing options. GFiber at the time said it was testing options to prioritize certain types of internet traffic, such as gaming, for low latency.