Three years after Google, with much fanfare, announced San Antonio was in line for its Google Fiber super high speed Internet service, the first homes in the city are being switched on today, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Google Fiber San Antonio Manager Tyler Wallis says Westover Hills and the area just west of downtown are the first to acquire Google Fiber, and there was a line out the door at a downtown coffee shop where customers were signing up.Wallis says Google's service will be noticeably faster than traditional broadband.
"You are going to see a dramatic increase in your speed," he said. "If you like to stream TV services and game, and those sorts of things, you're going to see a big increase in your performance."
San Antonio is the 12th city in the USA, and the second in Texas, after Austin, to receive Google fiber Internet service.
The line was out the door at a downtown coffee shop today as Google began signing up new customers in the two neighborhoods.
"We have crews standing by, ready to go connect the houses from the street," he said "As soon as you get home, we will put you in the queue to schedule an installation in your home."
Wallis couldn't give a timetable for Google fiber being deployed citywide. He says the next neighborhoods to be ready for service will be announced next month.
Unlike Spectrum, AT&T and other providers, the $55 a month service is just for high speed internet. Cable TV is not included, and Wallis says that is the future of video.
"What we found is that more and more people are streaming their TV services," he said. "They are streaming Netflix or Hulu or Google TV and they want those options."