Over ten years ago, we could never imagine a time where the Internet had the capacity to go beyond 56kbps. Yes, you remember the harsh grating sound of dial-up and the frustration of being unlucky enough to get 28kbps speed. Now we live in an era of wireless Internet, with connectivity being only a few feet away, whether in your home or at the local coffee shop.
Google plans on making Internet speed even faster in San Antonio. Just yesterday, Google announced its plans to potentially install and launch Google Fiber in the city. Unlike standard broadband, Google Fiber will offer its customers speeds of up to 1000mbps. This means that streaming high-definition movies and downloading mass amounts of pictures will take a mere seconds instead of the hours it sometimes takes to download data. Construction and installation of the fiber-optic cables provided by Google is underway in the neighboring city of Austin, and soon San Antonio may be joining the wave of high-speed Internet.
Mayor Julian Castro believes that this could potentially push business upward in San Antonio. The technology sector would benefit greatly from Google Fiber’s extreme download speeds. The design and advertising sectors could also benefit with the new technology, seeing as that both industries work closely with a variety of tech industries, ranging from website hosting to file downloads and beyond.
Google Fiber also brings free Internet connection to those who opt out of Google’s packages that include Internet and TV. All a subscriber would need to pay in this case would be a one-time $300 construction fee for typical broadband speeds of up to 5mbps. Free connectivity to everyone living in San Antonio could drastically change how people interact with not only the Internet but the technology used to connect. Having an Internet connection now is almost a necessity, and for those in the advertising industry, it could mean reaching a wider, broader audience that was once out of reach. The coming months will now be a waiting game for Google to reveal its final plans for San Antonio to have Google Fiber.
To find out more about Google Fiber, visit their website.
