Google Fiber eyes San Antonio, eight other U.S. metro areas

Mark Strama Head of Google Fiber - Austin, along with Mayor Julian Castro announced on Wednesday Feb. 19, 2014 that San Antonio is on a short list of cities to explore the possibility of bringing Google Fiber broadband to the city. less Mark Strama Head of Google Fiber - Austin, along with Mayor Julian Castro announced on Wednesday Feb. 19, 2014 that San Antonio is on a short list of cities to explore the possibility of bringing Google Fiber ... more Photo: Helen L. Montoya, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Helen L. Montoya, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Google Fiber eyes San Antonio, eight other U.S. metro areas 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Google Inc. unveiled plans Wednesday to bring fiber-optic services 100 times faster than basic broadband to San Antonio consumers.

The super-fast Internet service is up and running in the Kansas City area and in Provo, Utah. Google is currently constructing its fiber network in Austin.

The company announced Wednesday on its Google Fiber blog and at press conferences around the country that San Antonio is one of nine major metro areas that could become home to a so-called “gig network” that employs fiber-optic cable to transmit data at extremely fast speeds.

“We know that consumers want high-speed internet. 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,” Google Fiber General Manager Kevin Lo said.

It would mean that a customer could download a feature-length, high-definition movie, or hundreds of songs or photos in a matter of seconds.

On Wednesday, Google announced it is also seeking to expand its fiber system to Raleigh, N.C., Charlotte, N.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Portland, Ore., and San Jose, Calif.

Mayor Julián Castro participated in a press call Wednesday afternoon with Google's Lo to announce the national initiative.

The mayor has been working with the Google team said the strong potential for Google Fiber in San Antonio would be a significant win for residents and business here.

“This comes at a particularly opportune time for local markets like San Antonio to have increased competition,” Castro said. “And I'm confident we can make it a success in San Antonio.”

Bringing some of the fastest Internet speeds in the country could also spur further economic development in San Antonio. Castro said he believes it would attract small tech businesses to the city and help bolster the tech existing sector here.

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

Graham Weston, Rackspace chairman and chief executive officer, said via text message Wednesday that “it's a huge win for San Antonio.”

“Google is selecting us for a reason,” he said. “We are a city on the rise.”

See more on this story at ExpressNews.com: Google eyes S.A. for really fast Internet.

jbaugh@express-news.net