SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Today, Mayor Ivy R. Taylor announced that Google Fiber is coming to San Antonio. Improving broadband speed and choice for residents has been a City priority for the San Antonio community for years, including historical negotiations of franchise agreements, fiber optic right-of-way agreements, land lease agreements and applying for Google Fiber in 2010. Today’s average American broadband speed is 11.9 Megabits per second. In contrast, Google Fiber will bring San Antonio residents access to “Gigabit” Internet connections up to 1,000 Megabits per second.

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“Google Fiber will provide San Antonio with the competitive business and entrepreneurial edge needed in this era of continuously evolving high-speed technology,” said Ivy R. Taylor, San Antonio Mayor. “As the seventh largest city in America, San Antonio has worked closely with Google Fiber to plan a network that will attract and retain the next generation of innovators. Our residents, neighborhoods and businesses will benefit greatly from having access to ultra high-speed internet and our becoming a Google Fiber community brings us a giant step closer to becoming a community where all our residents are connected to opportunity.”

“San Antonio has demonstrated a long-term commitment to bringing fiber-optic networks to its residents,” said Mark Strama, Head of Google Fiber, Texas. “This commitment, coupled with the city’s lively startup scene and community-based tech initiatives, played a huge role in our decision to bring Google Fiber to the city. We are incredibly excited to begin our next phase of Google Fiber in Alamo City and witness the amazing things San Antonians do with gigabit Internet.”

There is huge demand for faster Internet speeds, because no one likes to wait on the web. Unfortunately, many of the things people love to do online require a lot of bandwidth, which means that, using today’s connections, people often get stuck waiting for pages to load or for videos to buffer. Statistics show that people walk away from slow-loading sites. And gig networks aren’t just about meeting today’s speed needs.

The next leap in broadband speeds — to gigabit Internet — will lead to innovation that’s unimaginable today, just as the shift from dialup to broadband did.

Google will be working closely with Mayor Taylor and City leaders on the next steps to build a brand new fiber-optic network capable of delivering these gigabit speeds throughout San Antonio. The next stage of work includes designing and planning a new fiber-optic network down to a very detailed level. After this process, which will take several months, Google Fiber will begin constructing the network.

“Affordable high-speed broadband is the catalyst to continuing our growth and advancement as one of the leading cities in the U.S. Today’s announcement gives San Antonio another competitive advantage,” said Hugh Miller, the City’s Chief Technology Officer. “The City has worked diligently with Google Fiber leadership over the past two years to help establish better policies and practices to become a true Gigabit Community. We are incredibly excited that all of the time and work Google and the City spent together has resulted in this digital advancement for our community. This project has the potential to help create more jobs, encourage companies in the creative and tech sectors to establish roots here and be a springboard for startups and local innovation, education and technology. Above all, it signifies that San Antonio is on the cutting edge, one of the ‘it’ cities in an increasingly urban country that is racing toward the future.”

Google Fiber is an Internet and TV service that provides Internet speeds up to one gigabit per second — that’s 1,000 Megabits per second, compared to the average Internet speed in America today of 11.9 Mbps — along with hundreds of HD TV channels. Google Fiber is currently available in Austin, TX, Kansas City, KS, Kansas City, MO and Provo, UT, and is in the process of constructing its network in Atlanta, GA, Charlotte, NC, Nashville, TN, Raleigh/Durham, NC, and Salt Lake City, UT.

For more information about this announcement, visit the Google Fiber blog: http://googlefiberblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/san-antonio-fiber.html.

City on the Rise: San Antonio

San Antonio is a city on the rise for the new face of America—a diverse, progressive and globally competitive city with a solid vision for national and international economic development. The City of San Antonio maintains a strong financial position with a “AAA” general obligation bond rating from all three major rating agencies. In 2014, Forbes labeled San Antonio the “Best City in the Southwest” for adults ages 18-34 for its dynamic economy, employment opportunities and affordable living. As the seventh-largest city in the United States, San Antonio is experiencing solid economic growth in 21st century industries such as bioscience, aerospace, cybersecurity and healthcare, which contribute billions to the local economy. San Antonio has also positioned itself at the forefront of the New Energy Economy in the United States, committed to investing and creating employment opportunities in green industries. San Antonio continues to experience the addition of missions at its several military commands, further fostering a significant relationship spanning more than 200 years. Thirty-one million visitors come to San Antonio every year, generating more than $13.4 billion annually and making the travel industry a vital asset to the city’s economic health. For more information, visit www.sanantonio.gov.