Google Fiber has committed to bring its mix of gigabit broadband and TV services to San Antonio, and an official announcement could emerge later today, according to several local reports citing unnamed city officials. Radio station WOAI noted that Google had recently posted an ad that seeks a city manager for Google Fiber in San Antonio.
Update: Google Fiber confirmed Wednesday that it will be coming to San Antonio, noting that it will be “the largest Fiber city to date,” according to this blog post from Mark Strama, Head of Google Fiber, Texas.
“Soon, we’ll enter the design phase of building our fiber network in San Antonio,” he added. “We’ll work closely with city leaders over the next several months to plan the layout of over 4,000 miles of fiber-optic cables—enough to stretch to Canada and back—across the metro area. This is no small task, and it will take some time, but we can’t wait to get started.”
Google Fiber has also set up a Web site that will track its progress in San Antonio.
Google Fiber's entry there will amp up competition with area incumbents AT&T and Time Warner Cable, which initiated its “TWC Maxx” upgrade in San Antonio in February. AT&T has also identified San Antonio for “GigaPower,” its 1-Gig, fiber-based platform.
San Antonio was one 34 possible expansion cities in nine metro that Google Fiber was exploring back in February 2014. San Antonio did not make the cut when Google Fiber announced plans in January 2015 to expand to 18 cities in four metro areas. However, San Antonio approved a real estate deal with Google Fiber in March that appeared to show that a future deployment was a distinct possibility.
Google Fiber has also been making noise in Tempe, Ariz., as the city council recently voted its approval for the ISP to enter the market, setting up the potential for more competition with CenturyLink and Cox Communications, which is already in the midst of a plan to deploy gigabit services across its entire service footprint.
Phoenix (including Scottsdale and Tempe) was also on Google Fiber’s original list of potential expansion sites, but the company has yet to confirm that it will build there.
“Tempe has been great to work with as we’ve explored bringing Google Fiber to the city, and this Video Services License is an important next step for our progress in the area,” a Google Fiber spokesperson said, in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to work with Tempe and the rest of the Valley as we consider bringing superfast Internet to metro Phoenix.”
Google Fiber has already launched or will soon service in Kansas City; Provo, Utah; and Austin, Texas. Google Fiber has deployment plans underway in Salt Lake City; Nashville, Tenn.; Atlanta; Charlotte; and Raleigh-Durham.
“Potential” Google Fiber cities include Portland, Ore.; San Jose; and Phoenix.
