Wilmington is one of 20 markets in the state where AT&T has expanded its gigabit internet service for businesses, the company announced Wednesday.

The AT&T Business Fiber high-speed internet provides the ability to download and upload up to 1 gigabit per second, or in practical applications to download 8,000 word processing documents in a second or download a two-hour high definition video in 36 seconds.

This type of speed connections is increasingly important to companies in deciding where to locate, economic development officials said.

“AT&T’s investment in gigabit Internet highlights the kind of vision and innovation Greater Wilmington relies on to keep its competitive edge sharp well into the next generation. High-speed, high-quality telecommunications capacity ranks high on the list of factors success-minded companies consider when expanding or relocating their operations,” Scott Satterfield, CEO of Wilmington Business Development, said in AT&T’s release Wednesday.

The push for the ultra high-speed internet has a number of players. Google Fiber has announced plans to roll out to the Triangle area and Charlotte, though there has been no word yet on whether it is coming to Wilmington. Meanwhile Brunswick County-based ATMC has been deploying fiber to homes and in spots, 1 gigabit service.

Other North Carolina cities with access to AT&T Business Fiber include Asheville, Cary, High Point, Raleigh and Charlotte, according to the release.

“For years, we have offered business customers gigabit connections, but through AT&T Business Fiber, we are speeding deployment of these high-speed connections to our business customers, offering fast and reliable network solutions to stay connected and competitive,” Venessa Harrison, president of AT&T North Carolina, said in the release. “As a result of the pro-investment business climate created by North Carolina's leaders, we are investing heavily in our fiber-optics infrastructure, deploying increased speeds to both business and residential consumers across the state.”

AT&T has expanded its fiber footprint in recent years to consumer and business users, officials said.

The company has expanded coverage to more than 1 million incremental business customer locations in the U.S., including over 23,700 of those in North Carolina, the release stated, adding that AT&T plans to launch more 1 gigabit service to additional markets in the near future.