Two years ago, Google first announced its plans to bring high-speed Internet access to the lucky people of Kansas City. Earlier this month, Google announced the expansion of this service to Austin, Texas, making it the next fiber network map city.
Austin, a mecca for creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit, has earned the reputation for being a good host for high-tech companies, many of which would benefit greatly from Google Fiber’s high-speed broadband network.
Google says that they will start connecting homes in Austin to their fiber network by the middle of next year, offering similar products to those offered in Kansas City: Gigabit Internet or Gigabit Internet plus Google Fiber TV service with almost 200 HD TV channels. By offering faster Internet access to more cities across the United States, Google is, in essence, increasing the amount of Web content that people can access. Thus, in addition to increasing connectivity for residents and businesses, Google is, in turn, growing its bottom line.
In Google Fiber’s blog post announcing their plans for Austin, Milo Medin (Vice President of Google Fiber) shared his thoughts about the future of the Internet saying, “We believe the Internet’s next chapter will be built on gigabit speeds, and we hope this new Google Fiber city will inspire communities across America to think about what ultra-fast connectivity could mean for them.” If you’re a city official, what improvements could you make to your city’s infrastructure to improve its connectivity? How do you think your city could benefit from Google Fiber?
Fiber network maps and other fiber maps can be used to help local governments, city officials, and urban planners find new ways to increase their city’s connectivity by analyzing existing fiber infrastructure and the fiber network map. If you are interested in obtaining fiber maps, fiber network maps, or other fiber GIS products, contact GeoTel Communications at (800) 277-2172.
