Google today announced Provo residents who live along the former iProvo network can start signing up for Google Fiber. The first customers were allowed to join in October, but only if they used the local Veracity Networks provider, and everyone else was told to wait till January.
In August, Google revealed three Fiber plans for the city, each of which requires the customer to pay a $30 construction fee. Now that Google Fiber is finally available, here’s what Provo residents have to choose from:
- Free Internet. Get today’s basic broadband speeds (up to 5 Mbps download, 1 Mbps upload) for free for at least the next seven years.
- Gigabit Internet. Connect to the web at speeds up to 100 times faster than basic broadband (up to 1 Gbps download and upload) for $70/month.
- Gigabit Internet + TV. Get 100 times faster Internet plus hundreds of HD channels. Record up to 8 shows at once and store up to 500 hours of HD content on your Storage Box for $120/month.
After Provo residents choose their plan, Google will need to bring a brand new fiber-optic cable directly into their home. Since it can do this for everyone all at once, it will work in waves, starting with the North Park area next month and finishing in the Foothills area “hopefully by the end of this year.”
As such, when you sign up for Google Fiber, you’ll be asked to enter your address and find out which “fiberhoods” your home is in. You’ll then be asked finish signing up for Fiber before your area’s deadline (later dates are still TBD):
- North Park – Thursday, February 20.
- Downtown Provo – Thursday, March 6.
- Pioneer/West Provo – Thursday, March 27.
- Grandview – Spring 2014.
- North Provo – Summer 2014.
- Southeast Provo – Summer 2014.
- Foothills – Summer 2014.
Last but not least, Google said on Friday it is opening a brand-new Fiber Space in the Shops at Riverwoods. It will have several demo stations as well as support personnel to answer questions and help residents sign up.
Google notes that because it acquired iProvo, the city’s sign-up process is different (and faster) than in Kansas City and Austin. Since Google doesn’t have to install thousands of miles of new fiber-optic cables, it can save on many months of planning, engineering, as well as construction and just upgrade the network to make it faster.
Top Image Credit: Spike Mafford
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