GFiber’s Big 2026: Astound Merger, Multi‑Gig Upgrades, and New City Launches

GFiber’s next act: a merger, multi-gig upgrades, and new city launches

GFiber (formerly Google Fiber) is accelerating its 2026 playbook on multiple fronts. On March 11, 2026, the company announced an agreement to combine with Stonepeak‑owned Astound Broadband, creating a new, independent internet provider that will be majority‑owned by Stonepeak, with Alphabet retaining a significant minority stake. The deal is expected to close in Q4 2026, pending customary approvals; GFiber’s current executive team will lead the combined business. (fiber.googleblog.com )

Why it matters

• Scale and scope: Merging GFiber’s newer fiber builds with Astound’s established footprint aims to form a national platform positioned for multi‑gig services. (lightreading.com )
• Strategic shift: Alphabet reduces ownership while keeping a stake, signaling operational independence for the ISP business without abandoning growth ambitions. (fiber.googleblog.com )
• Leadership continuity: GFiber’s team stays in charge, a sign the brand’s customer‑experience model will carry into the combined entity. (fiber.googleblog.com )

New markets and milestones in 2026

• Las Vegas launch: On March 11, 2026, GFiber declared Las Vegas “officially a GFiber city,” opening a new Summerlin office and lighting up first customers with plan options up to symmetrical 8 Gbps. Local outlets covered the public launch events the same week. (fiber.googleblog.com )
• Iowa goes first for citywide multi‑gig: On January 28, 2026, GFiber made Des Moines its first “multi‑gig city,” automatically upgrading existing customers at no extra cost (1 Gig → 3 Gig; 3 Gig → 5 Gig), a move later detailed by Axios Des Moines. (fiber.google.com )
• Colorado momentum: GFiber’s Colorado build continues beyond early Lakewood deployments; Douglas County approved right‑of‑way in January 2025, with construction slated to start that year and first customer service coming in 2026. Lakewood’s city resource center confirms live service began in the Eiber neighborhood in 2024. (fiber.googleblog.com )

Inside the network: 25G PON and a 20‑gig future

GFiber’s speed roadmap rests on replacing legacy GPON with XGS‑PON and overlaying Nokia 25G PON to reach beyond 8 Gbps. In May 2024, GFiber said it was deploying 25G PON “across our cities” to enable symmetrical 20 Gig and future services. (fiber.google.com )

Hardware is catching up, too. In December 2025, GFiber began rolling out a smaller Nokia‑built 20‑gig ONT, which executives say removes a key barrier to scaling its 20‑gig plan; the company estimates roughly 90% of homes and businesses in its footprint are already 20‑gig capable, subject to ONT availability. Separately, Nokia introduced mass‑market 25G PON residential ONTs in March 2025, underscoring industry readiness for 10G+ tiers; Nokia lists Google Fiber among 25G PON adopters. (fierce-network.com )

Wi‑Fi 7 in the home, included

On February 4, 2026, GFiber launched its Multi‑Gig Wi‑Fi 7 router and mesh system, included at no extra cost with Home 3 Gig and Edge 8 Gig plans. The company says the custom hardware, designed to complement its 25G PON backbone, delivers wireless speeds above 3 Gbps and features a 10 Gbps port to better utilize multi‑gig service without running Ethernet through walls. (globenewswire.com )

Plans, pricing, and automatic upgrades

GFiber’s current consumer lineup centers on three lifestyle‑named tiers: Core 1 Gig ($70/mo), Home 3 Gig ($100/mo), and Edge 8 Gig ($150/mo). GFiber introduced the naming and pricing nationwide in January 2025; in 2026 it began making multi‑gig the default in select markets like Des Moines while holding list prices steady. (globenewswire.com )

Competitive context

The GFiber–Astound deal lands amid an arms race to expand fiber footprints and multi‑gig capability. Industry coverage frames the combination as a bid to forge a larger, purely broadband‑focused challenger with both new greenfield builds and legacy metro networks under one roof. (lightreading.com )

What to watch next

• Regulatory review and close: The transaction targets a Q4 2026 close; integration planning will likely focus on brand strategy, adjacent footprints, and customer‑experience unification. (fiber.googleblog.com )
• 20‑gig availability: With the smaller ONT ramping, expect broader 20‑gig eligibility where 25G PON is active, especially in markets already upgraded to XGS‑PON and Wi‑Fi 7 hardware. (fierce-network.com )
• Market rollouts: Las Vegas buildouts and continued Colorado expansions (Lakewood, Douglas County, Westminster and beyond) point to a 2026 pipeline of neighborhood‑by‑neighborhood activations. (fiber.googleblog.com )

Bottom line: 2026 is already a turning point for GFiber. The pending Astound combination could deliver scale, while 25G PON, a compact 20‑gig ONT, and included Wi‑Fi 7 position the provider to keep pushing multi‑gig from early‑adopter novelty to everyday default. (fiber.googleblog.com )