Google Inc. said it will begin selling ultra-fast Internet access to consumers, a test that could threaten existing telecommunications carriers' grip on the Web and is designed to show off new uses of the Internet at high speeds.
Under the plan, Google will build an experimental fiber network that will target several cities and between 50,000 and 500,000 people, the company announced Wednesday. Google said it would offer service at a speed of 1 gigabit per second—or 100 times faster than what many U.S. consumers are used to—and would offer the service at "a competitive price."