Attention, Raleigh, N.C. residents. Gigabit Internet is coming your way, thanks to AT&T.
The mobile carrier on Thursday announced it has inked a deal with the city to bring its super-fast U-verse with GigaPower to residents and businesses in the area.
The fiber-based network will offer "advanced TV services" and Internet speeds capable of up to 1 gigabit per second. According to the company, that's 10 times faster than what's available in Raleigh today.
But how fast is it exactly? AT&T said you'll be able to download 25 songs in one second, or a TV show in less than 3 seconds. HD movies should download in less than 36 seconds.
To make gigabit Internet a reality in the area, AT&T is working with the North Carolina Next Generation Network, a coordinated effort led by six municipalities and four universities to stimulate the development of high-speed broadband networks in the state. Raleigh Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Harvey Schmitt said the news is "terrific for economic development."
"It brands Raleigh and our region as the leading edge of a technology revolution," Schmitt said. "It gives our companies and employees a technology that will spur operational efficiencies. And given our tech savvy population, it will open the door to innovations in products and services heretofore unimagined or not available without significant expense."
AT&T said it plans to expand the fiber network to tens of thousands of North Carolina residents and businesses over the next two years. It has been approved for a U-verse with GigaPower rollout in Durham and Winston-Salem, and is awaiting final approval in three other North Carolina cities - Carrboro, Cary, and Chapel Hill.
AT&T in December first rolled out its gigabit Internet network in Austin, Texas. The company is also planning to expand the network to more households in Austin as well as Dallas this year.
It could face competition from Google Fiber, as Raleigh-Durham is among the 34 cities Google is considering for a Google Fiber rollout. The search giant's service is also rolling out in Austin, and is available in Kansas City and Provo, Utah.
For more cities with gigabit Internet, check out the slideshow above.