100 times faster Internet service: that’s the aim of Google Fiber, which is bringing ultra-fast Internet to the Triangle.

“We are bringing Google Fiber to the Triangle,” exclaimed Michael Slinger, Business and Operations Director for Google Fiber during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at Research Triangle Park. The press conference included Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, Durham Mayor Bill Bell and Governor Pat McCrory.

Chapel Hill and Carrboro are among only a handful of communities in the nation to have this service.

Slinger says bringing Google Fiber to the Triangle has taken time and plenty of cooperation from local officials.

“Today, we are committing to invest in, and build, a brand new fiber optic network throughout Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Morrisville and Raleigh,” he said. “Last year, we began working with these cities to explore the possibility of bringing a superfast Internet and TV service to their residents and small businesses. The local leaders rose to the challenge.”

Listen to the full press conference, with comments from Slinger as well as Raleigh mayor Nancy McFarlane and Durham mayor Bill Bell.

 

In order to provide the service, Slinger said Google officials will spend the next few months working to run thousands of miles of fiber from Carrboro to Garner.

“Building a brand new fiber optic network takes time,” he said. “It’s going to take hundreds of construction crews and hundreds of installers. Their task will be to lay enough fiber to reach from here to London and back.”

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt spoke with Aaron Keck on WCHL about what Tuesday’s announcement means for Chapel Hill.

 

Along with Chapel Hill, Google also announced a faster broadband for Carrboro, Durham, Cary, Morrisville and Raleigh. Google has had an office in Chapel Hill since its acquisition of Skia Incorporated in 2005. Last year, the team opened an office on Franklin Street.

Currently three U.S. cities can boast about having Google Fiber: Provo, Utah; Kansas City; and Austin, Texas. Charlotte, Atlanta and Nashville are also included in the Google Fiber expansion.

The full statement from the Town of Chapel Hill is below:

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt along with Council Members and Town officials announced today (Tuesday, Jan. 27) that Google, Inc., is bringing its 100x faster Internet connectivity — Google Fiber — to Chapel Hill, making the community among a handful in the nation to have this service.

“Google Fiber has chosen Chapel Hill to advance its latest technologies, which is an honor and a promise about our community’s capacity as a tech and innovation hub,” Mayor Kleinschmidt said. “As a community of creative minds and innovators, we can’t wait to show the amazing things we will do with a gig.”

Currently, three U.S. cities can boast about having Google Fiber — Provo, Utah; Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri; and Austin. Along with announcing its selection of Chapel Hill for a new fiber future, Google also has selected faster broadband for Carrboro, Cary, Durham, Garner, Morrisville and Raleigh.

Improving broadband speed and choice for Chapel Hill residents has been a priority for years. When Google announced that it was accepting applications for Google Fiber technology in 2010, Chapel Hill was among the 1,100 communities that applied. Google Inc. has had an office in Chapel Hill since its acquisition of Skia Inc. in 2005. Last year, the team opened an office on Franklin Street that has played host to several community events and interns from local universities.

Google Fiber is Google’s Gigabit Internet service that offers Internet connection speeds for homes and businesses up to 100 times faster than today’s average broadband, as well as TV service with hundreds of high-definition channels. Today’s average American broadband speed is 11.5 Megabits per second. In contrast, Google Fiber will bring Chapel Hill residents access to “Gigabit” Internet connections up to 1,000 Megabits per second.

“We are here because of the hard work, passion and commitment of the town and its leaders,” said Kevin Lo, Director of Business Operations for Google Fiber. “The next chapter of the Internet will be written at gigabit speeds. These new networks will lay the foundation for a wave of innovation and economic growth. Chapel Hill is the perfect place to show us what’s possible, and we can’t wait to see what Chapel Hill will do with Fiber.”

Google will be working closely with Chapel Hill on the next steps to build a brand new fiber-optic network capable of delivering these gigabit speeds throughout Chapel Hill. The next stage of work includes designing and planning a new fiber-optic network down to a very detailed level. After this process, which will take several months, Google Fiber and Chapel Hill will begin constructing the network.

High-speed Internet will provide bandwidth that benefits business, education and health care in Chapel Hill. The one-gigabit-per-second speed will work to accelerate Chapel Hill’s burgeoning tech hub that includes Launch Chapel Hill, a start-up accelerator on Rosemary Street, 1789 Venture Lab on East Franklin Street, and UNC-Chapel Hill, which ranks among the top 10 research universities in the country. Aiding the movement of ideas from university labs to the commercial marketplace is the Carolina Research Venture Fund, which supports startups with a research focus.

What’s next? Google Fiber needs to build thousands of miles of fiber throughout Chapel Hill. They take all of the information submitted during the planning process to create a comprehensive plan for building the fiber network. The design helps enable Google Fiber to do construction more efficiently and smoothly. Some concrete steps they will take during this next phase:

– use the infrastructure data that the town has shared to create a map of where they can put fiber (e.g. existing utility poles, conduit) and areas to avoid (e.g. water, sewer and electric lines), as well as the most efficient sequence of construction.

– a team of surveyors and engineers hits the streets to fill in any missing details. You may see crews out doing detailed surveying work — lots of staring up at poles and even a bit of geological rock-testing.

– they take this information back to the office and create detailed network design maps, do work with the Town to locate network infrastructure and fiber huts, and start to prepare permitting packages.

– then they design the network, street by street.

It will take some time before Google Fiber starts signups. In the next several months they will be working with Town staff to design the network. Once there is a detailed plan in place, they can begin initial construction. Sign up on their website (https://fiber.google.com/newcities/) to receive updates.

For more information about community broadband in Chapel Hill, visit www.townofchapelhill.org/google.