The structures, which are 28 feet long and 9 feet tall, will be the backbone for the Google Fiber high-speed Internet network, said Mike Basham, Raleigh’s broadband manager.
Fiber-optic cable will run from the fiber huts, but it doesn’t necessarily mean nearby neighborhoods will be the first to get service, Google said in a news release.
“The order will be determined by network design,” the company said. “We will open signups first in areas where the network is ready, permits are in place and we have crews to connect our fiber directly to homes.”
It’s unclear when the Internet service will begin in the Triangle. Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Garner, Chapel Hill and Durham will get the service.
The expansion, announced in January, also includes the Charlotte, Atlanta and Nashville areas. Google promises service that is 100 times faster than most broadband speeds.
In June, crews were seen in Morrisville beginning construction on fiber huts. The town of Cary has also identified locations for the structures.
Construction crews plan to lay more than 5,700 miles of fiber-optic cable and install 26 fiber huts that will allow connections between smaller areas and the broader network. Fiber will be attached to roughly 50,000 telephone poles.
‘Fiber huts’ in Raleigh
Google plans to build fiber huts at the following locations:- 6900 Perry Creek Road
- 3305 Southall Road
- 1242 New Bern Road
- 4720 Rock Quarry Road
- 11053 Raven Ridge Road
- 3215 Wade Avenue
- 1721 Trailwood Drive (Fire Station 20)
- 7808 Six Forks Road
- 8525 Leesville Road
