Google Fiber Officially Announced For Raleigh-Durham, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte
We learned earlier this week that Google has concrete plans to bring its gigabit “Fiber” service to the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham areas in North Carolina. Today, Google confirmed the Fiber additions in North Carolina along with the inclusion of Atlanta, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee. The Google Fiber newcomers will join Kansas City, Kansas; Provo, Utah; and Austin, Texas.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory took to the stage today to help announce the arrival of Google Fiber in his state. The Raleigh-Durham area covers a vast swath of North Carolina, and surrounding towns that will receive Google Fiber include Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Garner, and Morrisville.
“Bringing Google Fiber to these cities is a long-term investment,” said Dennis Kish, Vice President for Google Fiber. “Our next step is to work with cities to create a detailed map of where we can put our thousands of miles of fiber, using existing infrastructure such as utility poles and underground conduit, and making sure to avoid things like gas and water lines. Then a team of surveyors and engineers will hit the streets to fill in missing details. Once we’re done designing the network (which we expect to wrap up in a few months), we’ll start construction.”
Google Fiber provides 1Gbps upstream and downstream connections to residential customers and even offers television service. Customers can choose gigabit Internet alone and pay $70 per month. Gigabit Internet plus a TV package will set you back $120 month. A $300 construction fee for either package is waived if you agree to a one-year commitment for service.
If you don’t require gigabit speeds — or just simply don’t want to shell out $70 per month for Internet — a free option will be available that provides 1Mbps upstream and 5Mbps downstream speeds. But be warned, you’ll be hit with that aforementioned $300 construction fee if you choose this option (you can pay it all at once, or pay $25 per month for 12 months).
Small businesses can also sign up for Google Fiber at a cost of $100 per month for 1Gbps upstream and downstream speeds. Business customers receive dedicated phone, email, and chat support, and a price guarantee for one year. Businesses can also add a single static IP for an additional $20 per month or up to 5 static IPs for an additional $30 per month.
