Austin will be a Net speed demon

Google picks city as next to get gigabit Internet

Thriving tech hub Austin, home to the SXSW music and geek mosh pit, is on tap to get blazing fast Internet.

Google on Tuesday confirmed rumors that the city is next in line for its Google Fiber high-speed broadband. The Internet search giant plans to start connecting Austin by mid-2014, eventually covering the entire city.

“We believe the future of the In- ternet will be built on gigabit speeds,” said Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Fiber, at a press conference in Austin.

Residents will be offered 1 gigabitper-second Internet and Google Fiber TV service, with nearly 200 HDTV channels. Gigabit Internet promises speeds 100 times faster than today’s average. So people could instantly download videos or upload hundreds of photos in seconds.

Austin’s plan calls for free Internet connections at a slower 5 Mbps for seven years to those who pay a onetime installation fee. That cost is expected to fall in line with the $300 paid by Kansas City, Mo., residents for the setup. For a bundle of TV and Internet the cost is expected to be about $120 per month, and gigabit service alone would run roughly $70 a month, with no installation fees.

Google is also planning to hook up Austin hospitals, schools and community centers with its gigabit service for free. “It’s a very exciting day for us here in Austin,” Mayor Lee Leffingwell says.

Austin had originally applied to be first on board for the project, which now has more than 1,100 cities interested, according to Google. It will make the tech-savvy city an even bigger draw for businesses, the mayor says. “It’s a huge additional tool in the toolbox for making our economy more attractive.”

Separately, AT&T announced Tuesday it’s preparing to build a fiber-optic network in Austin capable of 1 gigabit speeds.