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12/22/2024 02:30:05 pm

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Google Fiber Comes to Austin in December

Austin, Texas residents will be able to sign-up for Google Inc.'s (GOOG) super fast Internet service Google Fiber.

Google Fiber is currently available in Kansas City and Provo, Utah. Kansas City has been Google's main port, where it has expanded the service, while in Provo the 1Gbps service was already available. Google just acquired iProvo, the city's existing fiber-optic network.

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Neighborhoods will participate in a $5 reservation for Google Fiber, and can pay either $120 per month for Fiber and HDTV, $70 per month for Fiber or $300 in a one-time installment for 5MB broadband, free after the installation process.

Google Fiber will start on south and southeastern parts of Austin first, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Google has been noted for its cherry picking of higher-end neighborhoods with people with more expendable income

This is still only the start for Google's fiber plans, and has detailed a larger initiative to step into multiple markets in 2015 and 2016. The pace of fiber suggests while Google see it as a potential revenue source, it is not ready to dive headfirst into fiber optic.

Even with the low amount of current markets getting Google Fiber, it has been enough to create a big response from providers like AT&T (T), which has just announced a 300Mbps (soon to be 1Gbps) service inside Austin.

Smaller unconventional fiber optic companies have started cropping up as well, offering 1Gbps fiber optic to one market. These smaller broadband initiatives are becoming vital in the fight against Comcast (CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable's (TWC) lower-speeds nationwide.   

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