Google has announced that it will be extending its super-fast fibre broadband service to Austin, Texas. The company has already rolled out its fibre service in Kansas City, where residents can get up to one gigabit per second speeds for $70 (£44) per month. In December, Google chairman Eric Schmidt said the firm was looking for new cities to expand into.
The announcement was made by Google, along with Mayor of Austin Lee Leffingwell. Google plans to start connecting homes by mid-2014. The company chose Austin because of its thriving artistic and tech communities.
Google’s fibre service in Kansas City is likely to be offered with the same tariffs in Austin, with no installation charge. This package also comes with 1TB (terabyte) of storage on Google Drive. Alternatively, subscribers can opt for a broadband plus TV service at a price of $120 (£75). The third option is to pay a one-off $300 (£189) installation fee in return for free broadband at speeds of 5Mbps.
Steven Hartley, an analyst with research firm Ovum, thinks the move will give US incumbent broadband operators cause to sit up and take notice. Google’s Fiber project was first announced in 2010, and Kansas City was the eventual winner. Services began rolling out in November 2012.
Google is able to make the foray into broadband installation because it has been buying up so-called dark fibre from telecoms firms in the US in order to link up its data centres which are dotted around the country. It has also been investing in cheap fibre that has been laid by companies that have subsequently gone bankrupt before completing roll-outs.
