Google said to be slashing Fiber unit, but perhaps its work is done

Google is reported to be scaling back its fiber activities dramatically, which begs comparisons with the turn of the century, when IT giants like Microsoft invested disastrously in broadband infrastructure. A couple of weeks ago Google was reported to be switching from fiber to less expensive fixed wireless in some targeted US cities, following its acquisition of broadband wireless provider Webpass. Then last week, unconfirmed reports said Google Fiber’s CEO Craig Barratt had been instructed to lay off half his workforce, bringing its numbers down to 500, as parent Alphabet sought to cut costs. The story of a technology giant being brought low in the dangerous waters of network operations has echoes of 2002, when Microsoft invested $200m in Teligent…