Google is expanding the coverage of its existing gigabit Internet offering from Kansas City into another area of Kansas. The city of Shawnee, just outside of Kansas City, will gain Google Fiber in the future, and joins the high-speed connection construction waiting list alongside Olathe in the same state, Austin in Texas and Provo, Utah.
Google has announced the next areas to get gigabit Internet access in Kansas City. Five more "fiberhoods" will see the high-speed connection rolled out in early 2013, with the search giant setting deadlines for residents requesting installation in those areas to choose their package before construction work begins.
Most neighborhoods in the initial Google Fiber cities have met their pre-registration targets. At least 180 of the 202 "fiberhoods" defined by Google in both Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, have signed up enough households for the high-speed Gigabit Internet service to be switched on, with only one fiberhood showing no interest whatsoever.
A quarter of the neighborhoods in the Google Fiber project in Kansas City, Missouri have either approached or achieved their preregistration targets. A dedicated page for the pilot program shows that out of the 128 "fiberhoods" organized by Google, 31 have reached their target within four days of the registration rally commencing.
Google has officially launched its Google Fiber project. A streamed event by the search provider announced that both Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri will have the gigabit Internet service introduced to households within six weeks. Packages, including necessary hardware, and registration incentives were detailed on a YouTube stream, along with the surprise offer of "free" slower Internet access to those not wanting the full gigabit service.
Three more regional US carriers will begin carrying the iPhone on May 18th, according to separate announcements. These include Kentucky's Bluegrass Cellular, California's Golden State Cellular, and finally Kansas' Nex-Tech Wireless. Following in the footsteps of other regionals, the companies will be offering iPhones at discounted prices; this includes $149, $249, and $349 tiers for the 16, 32, and 64GB iPhone 4S, and a $49 pricetag for the 8GB iPhone 4.
