This summer AT&T brought its gigabit internet service to Wilmington-area businesses. Now residential users in the market will be able to tap into the higher speed connections, the company announced this week.
 
Wilmington was one of 11 additional markets named this week in line to receive AT&T Fiber. Its 1 gigabit service has launched in 29 metro areas in the country, and AT&T officials are aiming to reach at least 67 metros, according to a news release.
 
“The ultra-fast service is now marketed to over 3 million eligible locations, of which over 500,000 include apartment and condo units,” the release stated. “We’re on track to exceed the 12.5 million locations planned by mid-2019 as related to the DIRECTV merger."
 
More than 1 million business customers also have been connected to the company’s fiber network since 2012 when it started expanding.
 
“High-speed internet can open new doors for the citizens of Wilmington and surrounding communities, which can positively impact many aspects of life, such as education, communication and everyday enjoyment,” Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said in AT&T’s release this week. “We celebrate the plans to bring AT&T’s ultra-fast internet to our area and look forward to the new possibilities this technology brings.”
 
The push for the ultra high-speed internet has a number of players. Google Fiber recently started signing up customers in 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.
 
Once AT&T Fiber launches in Wilmington, customers in homes, apartments and small businesses in areas where the service is available can tap into internet speeds 20-times faster than the average cable speed, the company said.

Though there are different bundling options, just the 1 gigabit internet service runs $70 a month.
 
“We are proud to add Wilmington to our list of cities where we plan to offer our fastest internet speed available,” Venessa Harrison, state president of AT&T North Carolina, said in a statement. “AT&T’s ultra-fast internet will open up more possibilities for our customers.”