SpaceX’s satellite broadband service Starlink announced this morning that it would acquire Alphabet’s Google Fiber for $22 billion. The deal is pending review by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Google Fiber will be renamed to Fiber X, according to an announcement on the Starlink website.
“Starlink is excited to expand into fiber broadband,” said Michael Nicolls, Director of the Starlink Network at SpaceX, in a press release on the Starlink website. “Google Fiber has been an industry leader in innovation, backed by the trusted reputation of the Google brand. We look forward to continuing their excellent work and collaborating with the team at Google Fiber on a seamless transition.”
Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of SpaceX, described the acquisition as “the first of several to come” in a message on his social network X.
A broadband industry analyst and former FCC employee, speaking to Telecompetitor under the condition of anonymity, said they suspect Starlink may shift the existing Google Fiber assets away from directly serving residents and businesses and toward providing a fiber backbone for the Starlink satellite service. “The acquisition appears to be a strategic competitive move,” they said.
The announcement said Google Fiber CEO Dinni Jain will leave his post and become a board member at Starlink. There were no other details about staff transitions among the Google Fiber team.
“Google Fiber has been a leader in broadband, providing high-speed internet to several cities and hundreds of thousands of people around the nation,” said Jain in the announcement. “I look forward to joining the Starlink team, where we will provide connections to people around the world.”
The announcement did not provide details about the timing for the deal to close.
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