Google Fiber said it has begun to accept service sign ups in Huntsville, Ala., where it will offer a mix of broadband, pay TV and phone services via a municipal-owned fiber network.

Google Fiber and Huntsville Utilities announced the partnership in February 2016, and represents an agreement that does not tie into Google Fiber’s separate decision to pause expansion in some markets as it pursues less expensive wireless access alternatives.

RELATED: Google Fiber to Ride Muni-Owned Huntsville Network

In “Rocket City,” an area served by incumbent providers such as Comcast and AT&T, Google Fiber is selling 1-Gig broadband for $70 per month, a symmetrical 100 Mbps service for $50 per month, or TV bundles for $140 per month (with 100-meg), or $170 (with 1-Gig) . Google Fiber is also selling a home phone service for an additional $10 per month.

Homes and some businesses in North Huntsville are first in line for Google Fiber service. The first area tagged for service is “bounded on the west by Pulaski Pike and covers all of Huntsville north of Interstate 565 to the eastern city limits,” AL.com reports, adding that the north Huntsville section is one of six, and is one of the smaller ones, representing an area with about 14,000 residents.

Google Fiber is the city’s first tenant for its municipal fiber network, which will also allow other providers to lease access for their services, Caroline de Gantes, Google Fiber’s head of business operations in Huntsville, said in this blog post.

There might be a bit less actual “fiber” in Google’s broadband diet in the years to come.

Google Fiber, the ISP that has hitched its wagon to fiber-to-the-premises networks and Gigabit broadband services, has been flirting with wireless broadband technologies as it looks to accelerate the pace of deployments and reduce deployment costs.

Google’s courting of wireless access technologies reached the marriage stage in June, when it acquired Webpass, a company that specializes in wireless broadband delivery in markets such as San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; Chicago; and Boston.

And earlier this month, Google sought permission from the Federal Communications Commission to conduct wireless broadband trials in as many as 24 U.S. locations, including New York, Chicago and Atlanta.

Google wants to conduct those experiments for about two years, and has requested to operate those trials in the 3550 to 3700 Megahertz band that has been opened up for small-cell spectrum sharing.

Google’s growing interest in wireless is also being interpreted by some as a step back from its commitment to wired networks, which are not only expensive but time-consuming to deploy from scratch.

Google Fiber is part of “Other Bets,” Alphabet’s longer-term, moonshot projects such as self-driving cars. That unit lost $709 million on revenue of $185 million in Q2.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has reportedly suspended fiber projects in markets such as San Jose, Calif., and Portland, Ore., as it considers less expensive wireless alternatives.

“We’re continuing to work with city leaders to explore the possibility of bringing Google Fiber to many cities,” Google Fiber said in a statement. “This means deploying the latest technologies in alignment with our product roadmap, while understanding local considerations, which takes time.”

On the wired end, Google Fiber has launched service in parts of Nashville, Tenn.; Atlanta; Kansas City; and Provo, Utah, and also has deployments underway in Salt Lake City, Utah; San Antonio, Texas; and Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. It has been mulling expansions in Los Angeles; Chicago; Dallas; Portland, Ore.; San Jose, San Diego and Irvine, Calif.; Phoenix, Ariz; Oklahoma City; Louisville, Ky.; and Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla.

And wireless is just one tool that Google Fiber has in its bag as a way to speed its deployment trajectory.

In some markets, such as Atlanta, Google Fiber has been plugging into existing fiber infrastructure to reach select apartment buildings. In Huntsville, Ala., Google Fiber plans to deliver services as a “tenant” on a fiber network that’s being built by the local municipality.

SIDEBAR: Piggybacking on City Networks

Wireless will be a big factor in Google Fiber’s future, but riding on the pipes of others is also part of the game plan. In Huntsville, Ala., Google Fiber will offer services as a “tenant” on a fiber network that’s being built by Huntsville Utilities.

“The key for us is that this isn’t a Google Fiber project,” Jay Stowe, CEO of Huntsville Utilities, said in a recent interview. “This is a fiber project that will help us operate our water, gas and electric system for efficiency.”

The municipality is leasing excess dark fiber to Google, which will be tasked with providing and managing the equipment to activate and light up services on those lines. There’s no revenue sharing involved, as Google Fiber will handle all customer interactions.

Huntsville Utilities will charge Google Fiber a fixed fee per address passed, a move that gives it a stable income while also reducing risk, said Stowe, who is reportedly leaving the muni this fall to become senior vice president of Distributed Energy Resources at the Tennessee Valley Authority. It is building a fiber backbone, expected to be completed by year-end, that will loop around the city and target between 100,000 to 110,000 addresses, including businesses and multiple dwelling units.

The first of six network distribution areas within the city is slated to be completed by February 2017, with the last to be done by September 2019. Theoretically, Google Fiber can start to offer service when the first network distribution area is completed early next year.

Huntsville Utilities, which has tapped The Broadband Group as a consultant, has a bidding process underway for suppliers and has budgeted about $60 million for its part of the package.

Adding a new wrinkle to its service expansion strategy, Google Fiber has inked a deal to offer gigabit and TV services on a fiber network that Huntsville Utilities is building.

Huntsville started down that path in 2014, inviting potential partners to join the effort. Google Fiber said it is on board, and has already set up a site where potential customers in Huntsville can sign up to stay apprised of the progress.

“So what comes next? Pending final approvals, Huntsville Utilities will design and construct its network,” Jill Szuchmacher, director, Google Fiber expansion, announced in this blog post. “Once the network is built, Google Fiber — or any other broadband provider — will be able to bring high speed Internet service to the city. This is just the beginning of the process, so it's too early to share dates or timelines.”

“Google’s entrance into our market bolsters our high-tech legacy, energizes our entrepreneurs, tinkers and engineers, and supports the high quality of life Huntsville is known for delivering,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said, in a statement. “Fiber to the home is the Internet infrastructure for the 21st century. It is as vital to our quality of life as roads, water, sewer and electricity.  It will become the benchmark for cities vying for talent. “

Google Fiber’s agreement with the city spells more competition for area incumbent providers Comcast and AT&T, which has included Huntsville on its plan for GigaPower, the telco’s fiber-based gigabit network.

Szuchmacher noted that most of Google Fiber’s networks have been built from scratch, but that the company has been taking different approaches in different markets.

In Provo, Utah, Google Fiber is initially offering service on the network it acquired from iProvo, and in Atlanta, Ga., Google Fiber is building its own network while also using existing fiber infrastructure to deliver service to some apartment buildings.

"And now, due to the leadership of the Mayor and Huntsville Utilities CEO Jay Stowe, we’ll be working with a muni-owned network to bring our high speed service to Huntsville," she wrote. 

In addition to Provo and parts of Atlanta, Google Fiber has also launched services in portions of Kansas City and Austin, Texas, and has deployments underway in Salt Lake City, Utah; San  Antonio, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; and Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Google Fiber is also exploring expansions in Chicago; Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles, San Jose, Irvine and San Diego, Calif.; Phoenix; Oklahoma City; Louisville, Ky.; and Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla.