Google Fiber starts offering its high-speed Internet, TV and telephone service in Huntsville today, the company said in a press conference. The first area served will be north Huntsville.

Customers can sign up today for fiber-optic cable Internet alone, Internet with TV and either service with a telephone line. Prices start at $50 a month for fiber Internet cable at speeds up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) and go to $160 a month for gigabit Internet and 220 channels of TV. Phone service is $10 extra on any plan.

The first area getting service is bounded on the west by Pulaski Pike and covers all of Huntsville north of Interstate 565 to the eastern city limits.

This map shows the area of north Huntsville to get Google Fiber first.

A Google Fiber pop-up shop will also open starting today in the parking lot of the Whole Foods-anchored Shops at Merchants Walk at the intersection of Bob Wallace Avenue and Memorial Parkway. Adjacent to Google, RCP Companies Director Odie Fakhouri said there is 5,500 square feet of space remaining at the development.

North Huntsville gets to go first for several reasons, officials said. Huntsville Utilities divides its service area into six sections, and the north Huntsville region is one of the smaller with about 14,000 residents. It also has mostly overhead utility lines meaning less digging.

"We could build it out a little quicker and learn the rules of the road," said utilities acting CEO Tony Owens.

"We also wanted to do some good-faith efforts for north Huntsville to help spur economic development, as well," said Gary Whitley Jr., a utilities public relations specialist and community affairs ambassador.

It wasn't immediately clear what areas might come next or when.

"We're really focused on delighting consumers in north Huntsville, first and foremost," said Caroline De Gantes, lead of Google Fiber's Huntsville business team, "and then we will be offering Google Fiber to more areas in the months and weeks to come, but no updates on that."

De Gantis said Google Fiber will stand out in the provider crowd for its "super-fast Internet" but also transparent pricing, lack of data caps, and "award-winning service." After customers sign up, Google Fiber will set up an installation appointment. It will be an appointment with no four-hour waits at home for technicians, she said.

Huntsville Utilities is running fiber optic cable through its service area to better control its own systems. Google Fiber is leasing strands and will do the connections from the city's cable to the home.

The utilities system has 650 miles of overhead cables, 350 miles of underground cable and 100 miles of so-called "backbone" cables, Owens said.

"Thanks to Mayor (Tommy) Battle and Huntsville Utilities, we've been able to serve people faster than ever," De Gantes said. She called Huntsville a "forward-thinking, innovative city."