Google is looking into nine major metropolitan areas to determine if they are worthy recipients of the Google Fiber high speed Internet network capable of gigabit (1000 MBPS) speeds.

In a blog post on the official Google blog, Google announced that the company is currently considering 34 cities for the latest round of Google Fiber installation. The major metropolitan areas in the running for Google Fiber include Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, San Antonio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Jose, and Portland. While Google is considering bringing ultra high speed Internet to these cities, it is not a certainly these areas will get Google Fiber quite yet.

"We aim to provide updates by the end of the year about which cities will be getting Google Fiber," Google's vice president of Google Access Services Milo Medin wrote on Google's blog. "Between now and then, we'll work closely with each city's leaders on a joint planning process that will not only map out a Google Fiber network in detail, but also assess what unique local challenges we might face. These are such big jobs that advance planning goes a long way toward helping us stick to schedules and minimize disruption for residents."

Google will be looking into a variety of factors to determine if an area is right for Google Fiber, including topography, population density, and the condition of the area's infrastructure. Cities that wish to gain access to the ultra high speed technology will have to give Google detailed plans concerning existing systems such as water and gas lines and how to allow Google Fiber to best be implemented on existing structures so that the company will not have to tear apart the cities to put in new cables. However, even if a city does not qualify for Google Fiber, Google will share ways to improve the city's Internet speed and infrastructure.

Currently, Austin, Kansas City, and Provo are the only cities that have received the ultra high speed Internet system. The system is in high demand, and many different areas are scrambling to convince Google to put in their high speed Internet in their cities. With millions potentially receiving Google Fiber, the idea of people having access to 1000 mbps Internet is quickly becoming more and more of a reality. It will be interesting to see how many of these cities qualify for Google Fiber and what other cities may get the system in the future.