C Spire today began installing fiber optic cable in Ridgeland, Miss. for what the company is calling the first statewide 1 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) fiber-to-home network in the U.S.

In all, the first phase of C Spire’s fiber initiative will see the rapid home broadband deployed in nine Mississippi cities: Batesville, Clinton, Corinth, Hattiesburg, Horn Lake, McComb, Quitman, Ridgeland and Starkville. C Spire anticipates laying 4,600 miles of fiber optic infrastructure and spending millions to finish the first steps of the project.

“We’re going to show the world that Mississippi is ready to become a hub for technology investment, economic growth and job creation,” C Spire CEO Hu Meena said in a statement.

Meena said interest has been high ahead of the actual service, with residents in 80 out of the first 81 neighborhoods scheduled to receive C Spire fiber paying the $10 pre-registration fee.

C Spire is predicting an official service launch this summer, putting its announcement to deployment time at around one year.

1-Gbps Fiber Internet service has been slowing trickling out to U.S. consumers. Google Fiber has so far deployed in Kansas City; Austin, Texas; and Provo, Utah. The company currently has plans to deploy in nine more cities nationwide, including Portland, Phoenix, San Antonio and Atlanta.

AT&T in April announced its intentions to bring its 1-Gbps fiber service to 100 cities and municipalities nationwide.