Residents of both Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri may be getting Google Fiber in the near future. An update on the Google Fiber Blog claims that the service will be launching soon, and that more information will be made available on July 26. The sentiment is also mirrored on the Google Fiber website, although with a message that reads as if it will be activated on that date.
The Google Fiber service would bring the two cities Internet access at speeds of up to 1Gbps, and is seen as a test bed to develop products and services for when superhigh-speed Internet access is more commonplace. Google plans to test new techniques for deploying the fragile and costly fiber, along with the viability of very high-bandwidth applications, At its peak, it would be enough to download a Full HD movie in about five minutes, and would be able to steam multiple HD video feeds simultaneously.
A Google-branded IP set top box was tested by the FCC last month, which seemingly confirmed the existence of a cable TV service. The service has suffered from delays before its launch, apparently due to wiring-related issues, but it does seem close to starting up.
