Google Fiber speeds up with new destination: Provo, Utah

Google Fiber is starting to pick up some more steam as its domestic roadmap becomes clearer.

The latest destination confirmed by the Internet giant is Provo, Utah.

With community meetings already scheduled for planning the gigabit Internet deployment, the Mountain View, Calif.-based corporation revealed it bought out iProvo, an existing fiber-optic network owned by the city of Provo so Fiber can move in.

Financial terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, and the merger is pending a vote by the Provo City Council next Tuesday, April 23.

If the deal is approved, Google will both upgrade iProvo's network to gigabit levels (touted to be 100 times faster than current Internet connectivity standards) and finish network construction so every home in the city can connect to Fiber.

Furthermore, Google is promising to offer basic Internet service (5 Mbps speeds) to every home along the existing Provo network for a $30 activation fee and no monthly charge for at least seven years. The Internet giant has also pledged to provide free Google Fiber gigabit Internet service to 25 local public institutions, such as schools, hospitals and libraries.

Google Fiber general manager Kevin Lo explained in a blog post on Wednesday about the motivation to move towards the "slopes" after hitting the hills and prairie of the United States.

Utah is already home to hundreds of tech companies and startups, and many of them are based in Provo. In fact, the Provo area ranks second in the nation in patent growth, and is consistently ranked as one of the top places to live and do business in the U.S. We believe the future of the Internet will be built on gigabit speeds, and we’re sure the businesses and residents of Provo already have some good ideas for what they’d build with a gig.

Google recently announced that Fiber is headed to the SxSW host city of Austin, Texas. Fiber has already been deployed in Kansas City, Missouri.