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AT&T Plans Big Expansion of Gigabit Internet Service

 & Stephanie Mlot Contributor

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AT&T is spreading holiday joy via ultra-fast Internet speeds.

The ISP on Monday announced plans to expand its GigaPower Web service to homes and businesses in 38 more metro areas across the U.S. Starting in Los Angeles and West Palm Beach, customers can tap into 1 gigabit-per-second speeds for instant access to online movies, music, games, and more.

According to AT&T, users can download 25 songs in less than a second, an episode of TV in three seconds, and an HD movie in less than 36 seconds.

AT&T debuted GigaPower nearly two years ago in Austin, and has since expanded to locations like Kansas City, Nashville, and Cupertino.

In Austin, AT&T offers a premier ($70/month for 1 Gbps speeds, plus $120/month for TV services) or standard package ($99/month for 1 Gbps speeds).

Now that AT&T owns DirecTV, customers can also choose between DirecTV or U-verse TV services to schedule up to five DVR recordings at a time, watch 100-plus live TV channels at home and on the go, and catch up with on-demand shows on a handful of smartphones and tablets.

ISPs moved to roll out gigabit Internet following the high-profile launch of Google Fiber, which debuted in Kansas City, and is also available in Austin and Provo, Utah. But Google has plans to expand to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and beyond, spurring rival ISPs into action. Comcast, for example, is rolling out Gigabit Pro, which promises "next level" speeds of up to 2 gigabytes per second, but it'll cost $300 per month.

Here's the full list of AT&T's planned GigaPower rollout:

  • Alabama: Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery
  • Arkansas: Fort Smith/Northwest Arkansas, Little Rock
  • California: Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose
  • Florida: Pensacola, West Palm Beach
  • Georgia: Augusta
  • Indiana: Indianapolis
  • Kansas: Wichita
  • Louisiana: Baton Rouge, Shreveport-Bossier, Jefferson Parish region, the Northshore
  • Mississippi: Jackson
  • Missouri: St. Louis
  • Michigan: Detroit
  • Nevada: Reno
  • North Carolina: Asheville
  • Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus
  • Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, Tulsa
  • South Carolina: Charleston, Columbia, Greenville
  • Tennessee: Memphis
  • Texas: El Paso, Lubbock
  • Wisconsin: Milwaukee

About Our Expert

Stephanie Mlot

Stephanie Mlot

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  • B.A. in Journalism & Public Relations with minor in Communications Media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)
  • Reporter at The Frederick News-Post (2008-2012)
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