Dive Brief:

• Google has identified nine locations in Raleigh to construct their “fiber huts,” which serve as the backbone for the Google Fiber high-speed Internet network.

• Google Fiber first launched in 2012 in the Kansas City area. It’s now up and running in Provo, Utah and Austin, and the company is exploring expansion into several other cities.

• Google promises service up to one gigabit per second, which is 100 times faster than most broadband speeds.

Dive Insight:

The company said construction in Raleigh will begin soon. Google’s expansion of Google Fiber also includes the Charlotte, Atlanta and Nashville areas.

Many businesses are clamoring for faster Internet speeds. In the U.S., the average connection speed is about 10 megabits per second, which ranks the U.S. just 14th in the world.

Google’s efforts are not completely altruistic, however. Faster Internet also helps Google by making it easier for consumers to use its services and view its ads.