February 22, 2014

Google Fiber Leveling Up San Antonio Internet?

On Wednesday, Google revealed plans to bring super-fast Internet to San Antonio. How fast you ask? Try 100 times faster than standard broadband.

“We know that consumers want high-speed internet,” said Google Fiber General Manager Kevin Lo. “In fact, most of the things we do today require a lot of bandwidth. Nobody likes it when websites buffer, when videos that we’re trying to watch don’t load properly.”

According to the Google Fiber blog, the company has identified San Antonio as one of nine major metropolitan areas to host its services in the near future. Google Fiber is currently up and running in Kansas City and Provo, Utah with Austin underway.

This futuristic Internet uses fiber-optic cable to facilitate data transmission at incredible rates; a customer could download a feature-length film or an entire music library in a matter of seconds. This type of service could bolster the already strong economy in San Antonio, luring tech startups and other business to the city.

“There’s no question that there’s a certain cachet that comes with being a Google Fiber city,” said Mayor Julián Castro. “I look forward to working to make San Antonio one of those cities.”

To follow this story, check out San Antonio Express-News’s coverage here.