Google Fiber's rapid fiber-optic network with a speed of 1 gigabit per second has already touched down in Kansas City, Austin and Provo, with potential expansions to other cities like Charlotte, Atlanta and Nashville. Now, the service is tackling its largest project yet — San Antonio.
Regarded as one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, San Antonio's 1.4 million residents have been waiting for this change. In March of last year, the city council approved a real estate contract with Google, detailing the construction of 40 or so "fiber huts" designed to house infrastructure for the giant network. The expansion was still not set in stone, but following months of consideration, Google Fiber has finalized plans for the expansion.
Part of the reason behind San Antonio's selection is the vibrant tech environment it's built up over the past few years: establishing America's first fully digital Bexar BiblioTech Library, its near-impeccable reputation in cybersecurity, and its selection for President Obama's TechHire and Connect Home initiatives are just a few things that come to mind.
Mark Strama, head of Google Fiber Texas, is not shy to admit that this is a daunting project: "This is no small task, and it will take some time, but we can't wait to get started," he wrote in a blog post on behalf of Google.
Although there is no concrete date for the project's beginning and end, it will most definitely take at least a couple of years to implement. The Fiber team will soon be entering the design phase, in which it will work in conjunction with city leaders to map the layout for over 4,000 miles of fiber-optic cables.
Going forward, the announcement bodes well for the people of San Antonio, who can only benefit from this expansion, as well as the competition it could create.
