Grande Communications will be first out of the chute with a 1-Gig residential broadband service in San Antonio, announcing that it will launch the service in select areas of the city on March 3 for $64.99 per month.
Grande, which announced the launch date on the same day the FCC voted in rules that will reclassify broadband under Title II, is launching 1-Gig ahead of AT&T, which has added San Antonio to the list of cities that will get GigaPower, the telco’s fiber-based, Gigabit platform, but has not yet launched it in that market. Google Fiber, which has been selling a standalone 1-Gig service for $70 per month, is still considering expanding into San Antonio, but did not include the city on its recently announced list of expansion markets.
Time Warner Cable, San Antonio’s incumbent MSO, recently kicked off “TWC Maxx” upgrades there that will bump its Ultimate tier from 50 Mbps (downstream) to 300 Mbps while also boosting other broadband tiers at no additional cost.
Grande said it will initially offer its 1 Gbps service, called Power 1000, to two parts of San Antonio – Alamo Heights and Terrell Hills.
Also on March 3, Grande is launching a set of faster broadband plans in all its markets -- 200 Mbps ($44.99), 300 Mbps ($54.99) and 400 Mbps, which will sell for $64.99 per month in areas where the ISP has not yet introduced 1-Gig service. Grande launched Power 1000 in parts of Austin, Texas, about a year ago.
Other Grande plans offer speeds of 15 Mbps ($29.99) and 50 Mbps ($34.99).
Grande's broadband tiers can also be bundled with its TV and phone services.
“Grande’s deployment of 1G service in San Antonio along with the new Internet speeds are part of our customer care commitment and continuing effort to offer the fastest Internet speeds and loaded bundles at the best value,” said Matt Rohre, senior vice president of operations and general manager for Grande, in a statement.
