Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has invited nine additional metropolitan areas — and a total of 34 cities — from around the country to explore “what it would take to bring them Google Fiber,” the company’s blazingly fast 1 Gigabit network. The service was first rolled out in Kansas City, with Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, coming later.
A post on the official Google blog on Wednesday signaled that the company has started early discussions with 34 cities in 9 metro areas around the United States to explore what it would take to bring a new fiber-optic network to their community.
The nine cities Google will talk to include Portland, San Jose, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, San Antonio, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh-Durham. Several suburbs of Atlanta, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, and San Jose will make up the other 25 cities.
Google said it would reveal by the end of this year which cities would be next in line for Google Fiber. It takes so long, the company said, because it is such a complicated task “that advance planning goes a long way toward helping us stick to schedules and minimize disruption for residents.”
Google also notes that while the company wants to bring its fiber network to all these cities, “it might not work out for everyone.” Google’s Fiber network is 100 times faster than a normal broadband network. Where Google Fiber is available it costs $70 a month for Internet service and an additional $50 a month for video service. Slower speeds are available free for customers who pay a construction fee ranging from $30 to $300.
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