Google Fiber's rollout across the United States is continuing as it plans to expand into San Antonio, Texas.
The city, which currently has about 1.4 million residents, is the high-speed Internet service's biggest target so far.
Google Fiber promises Internet speeds of 1GB per second. Compared to the traditional broadband Internet connections, the service offered by Google Fiber is a hundred times faster.
The rollout of Google Fiber has been slow, however, with the Internet service only currently available in the Kansas City area, Provo, Utah, and Austin, Texas.
According to a post by Google Fiber Texas head Mark Strama on the official Google Fiber blog, the service will soon enter the design phase in the development of the fiber network that will cover San Antonio. Google Fiber will be working closely with city leaders in the coming several months to be able to plan how fiber optic cables, with a total length of 4,000 miles, will be laid out in San Antonio.
"This is no small task, and it will take some time, but we can't wait to get started," Strama said.
Google Fiber users are paying a monthly fee of $70, with an additional monthly fee of $50 to add TV services to the high-speed Internet service. Google is also offering a slower but free Internet connection to users, but it will come at a cost of $300 as a one-time fee for installation.
Google Fiber's services are much more than enough for the average Internet user, even for customers that endlessly use streaming services or play nonstop in online gaming networks. The major draw of Google Fiber is for business, with cities looking to attract talented individuals due to the presence of high-speed Internet, leading to boosts in their local economies.
"Fast growing cities need Internet speeds that can keep up with their progress," Strama said in the blog post, also adding that San Antonio has developed into a city with a thriving technology landscape. Among the achievements of the city is Bexar BiblioTech, which is the country's first all-digital public library.
Expansion plans for Google Fiber include Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte. Other potential cities to receive Google Fiber's services include Phoenix, Portland and San Jose.
