AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has launched its gigabit speed internet in Columbus, Madison, and Huntsville.
The launch in the three areas is part of AT&T’s plan to expand the service in more areas faster to gain more ground against the rival gigabit-speed service Google Fiber from Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). AT&T claims that its gigabit service is so fast that users can download 25 songs in one second and a full-length movie in less than one minute. The firm pointed out that Ohio and the two other regions are among 32 metropolitan areas where the gigabit internet has been introduced and the company plans to expand the services to 67 markets by 2019.
“This is the kind of speed (customers) have not seen before. This gives them ability to do more and do it faster,” stated Adam Grzybicki, the president for AT&T in Ohio.
Grzybicki pointed out that the expansion of the company’s fiber footprint is part of a larger move to enhance the capability of mobile devices to speeds that match 5G or some of the existing high-speed 4G speeds. The executive also stated that the expansion is also a critical move for the firm in preparation for the shift towards the internet of things.
AT&T believes that it will be easier to facilitate the growth of IoT and other new technologies once fiber infrastructure that facilitates fast internet speeds has been set up in more areas. The gigabit speed package will be offered as an optional package.
Monthly subscription for the gigabit-speed service will be priced at $90. The AT&T will also offer a 100 Mbps service that will cost $70 and a 6 Mbps service priced at $30. The 100 Mbps service is fast enough for heavy usage but it will feature a 1 TB data cap. The 1 Gbps package does not have a data cap.
AT&T stock closed the latest trading session at $39.10, marking an improvement by $0.09 or 0.23% compared to the previous closing price.