San Antonio is shaping up as a broadband battleground. Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Fiber has announced plans to deploy its FTTH-based gigabit Internet service in the city, which the search giant says will be its largest market to date. The planned buildout includes more than 4,000 miles of fiber.
A number of Internet service providers currently serve San Antonio, including cable, telco and wireless. Some of its larger incumbent ISPs include Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) - which completed the Internet portion of its TWC Maxx upgrade program in the city last week - AT&T (NYSE:T), Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and Grande Communications, which offers gigabit service in parts of the city. San Antonio was also named as one of the recipient communities in the ConnectHome low-income broadband adoption program announced last month by the Obama administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Current Google Fiber markets include the Kansas City metro area; Provo, UT; and Austin, TX. Besides San Antonio, Google plans to deploy in Salt Lake City, Nashville, Atlanta, and Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina. The company is also considering Portland, OR; San Jose, CA; and Phoenix as potential markets.
Ron Hendrickson | Contributing Editor
As BTR's managing editor, Ron keeps the editorial wheels from coming off. He gathers and posts daily news, interviews cable's movers and shakers, and generally keeps his finger on the pulse of the industry. He joined BTR in 2010 and got his start in cable in 1998.