If AT&T and Google Fiber compete to offer ultra-fast Internet, who wins? The city of Austin, that's who.
Residents of the Texas tech hub will soon have not one, but two gigabit fiber networks to choose from.
AT&T said in a press release Tuesday that it plans to build a gigabit network of its own in the Austin area. Earlier the same day, a weekend's worth of rumors were confirmed when Google announced that it plans bring its much-anticipated Google Fiber network to Austin.
While the Google Fiber news had been expected for days, AT&T's announcement took most tech observers by surprise. The timing of AT&T's release was a bit curious as well -- coming on the same day as the Google Fiber news; it appears designed to steal a bit of Google's thunder after Fiber got a lot of coverage over the past few days.
No matter AT&T's motivation, though, it's Austin that comes out on top here, with what should soon be a relative surfeit of super speedy Internet options.
Kansas City is currently the only city where residents already have Google Fiber, and the service has ignited a budding startup scene there. While not particularly familiar to the average Internet user, futuristic, lightning-fast gigabit broadband services have hardcore techies quite excited.
How soon do you hope to see a gigabit fiber network in your city? Let us know in the comments.