Google Fiber is increasingly going by ‘GFiber’

Back in 2021, Google Fiber got a new logo after using just a wordmark for the past decade. The latest branding change has Google Fiber increasingly leverage “GFiber.”

For the past few months, fiber.google.com has had “GFiber” appear in the top-left corner. That shortened name appears in several places throughout the page, including the map of cities where it is available: “GFiber is bringing fast, reliable internet to more and more new cities this year. And for the cities we’re already in, we’re adding tens of thousands of new addresses.”

It also appears physically in the real world on installation vehicles. Service starts at 1 Gig for $70 per month, 2 Gig for $100/month, 5 Gig for $125, and 8 Gig for $150 in select markets.

An “About GFiber” page explains it as such: “GFiber is an Alphabet company that brings Google Fiber and Google Fiber Webpass internet services to homes and businesses across the United States.”

“Google Fiber” still appears throughout, especially to refer to the actual internet service, but usage appears to be pretty interchangeable. The abbreviated name is not solely used to refer to the company at this point.

There’s also “GFiber Labs,” which has its own logo and recently announced plans to test 20 Gig residential service by year’s end. 

The X, formerly Twitter, account goes by GFiber, though the handle remains @googlefiber. (The YouTube handle is @gfiber.) You’ll find a link to gfiber.com that explicitly replaces the previous Webpass entry point: “Webpass.net is now GFiber.com — the new home for Google Fiber Webpass.”

In all, this change is subtle, and might start the process of the ISP divorcing itself from the Google brand. The ISP is not actually part of the Google that offers Search, Android, YouTube, etc. Google Fiber is its own company/division under the Alphabet corporate umbrella. Of course, its association to Google undoubtedly gives the service a lot of user trust and brand awareness. However, if it’s to continue for the foreseeable future, GFiber will eventually need to be independent from a branding perspective.