Google has selected Kansas City, Kansas as the first site where it will build a high-speed broadband network.
Google said that it has signed an agreement with Kansas City and expects to begin offering service in 2012 as part of its "Fiber for Communities" programme.
The search engine company said that the new network will be capable of delivering Internet speeds of 1GBPS, which is more than 100 times faster than the home broadband connections currently available in the US.
"We can’t wait to see what new products and services will emerge as Kansas City moves from traditional broadband to ultra high-speed fiber optic connections," Google said on its blog.
Google also said it would share its experience with others to help spread the technology.
Out of the over 1,100 cities across the US which had applied to Google, Kansas City was selected because of its good network infrastructure and also because it is one of the poorest in the state.
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Google vice-president for access services Milo Medin said gigabit broadband can be leveraged for economic development and educational gain, both of which are vital in the global economy that we live in today.
Medin said, "We want to be able to build strong relationships and partnerships with local government and communities so that we can work together to use technology in a new way to make a city a better place to live in, a better place to work in, a better place to learn in."
Kansas City and Wyandotte County mayor and CEO Joe Reardon said the "1 gigabit fiber backbone straight through to businesses and homes" would mean business and educational opportunities for the area, and would help the community grow in unique ways.
