(Image: Google)

The rumors were right. Google Fiber is now coming to four new metro areas across the eastern U.S.

The search giant turned internet provider confirmed Tuesday that it will bring the high-speed internet access to Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, NC along with Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA.

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Those four regions, with a combined population coverage of about 3 million, will be the latest to receive internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps -- more than one-hundred times faster than the national average.

Construction will begin later this year, though a definitive date was not announced.

The service is free for those wanting 5 Mbps speeds (with a one-time construction fee of $300), or $70 a month for access to the high-speed fiber internet.

The project first came to Kansas City, MO in July 2012, and later expanded to Provo, UT, and Austin, TX.

Google announced almost a year ago in February that North Carolina would be one of the six new states to receive the high-speed internet. But it said it would wait until early this year to announce which of the few chosen cities will receive the service.

Google Fiber chief Dennis Kish, who previously served at Qualcomm before moving to the search giant, said in remarks that bringing the service to the four new cities is a "long-term investment" for the company

Kish added that though five cities missed out this time around -- Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and San Jose -- talks are still ongoing. A decision on whether or not to expand to be made later this year.

Updated on January 27: with confirmation and comments from Google.