Student-Housing Complex in Texas Promises 1-Gigabit Internet Speeds

A private developer and a network-service provider are jointly upping the ante on Internet access in a new student-housing complex in Austin, Tex., offering one-gigabit-per-resident service. That’s about 100 times as fast as the average home cable-modem connection and as fast as the Google Fiber connections that attracted a lot of attention when the company announced that it would offer them in Kansas City, Kan.; Provo, Utah; and Austin.

The new 17-story complex, Callaway House, was constructed by American Campus Communities, which owns or manages 191 properties with nearly 123,000 beds.

Callaway House, which opens this month, offers a number of other amenities in addition to the superfast Internet connections, including a rooftop fitness center, a swimming pool, and a full-service dining facility. The building has 661 beds in regular suites and 92 beds in “penthouse” units on the top two floors, where students are promised “upgraded interior finishes,” “wow-inspiring views,” and “the privacy and lifestyle you deserve.” The Austin architecture firm STG Design planned the $60-million project.

CampusConnect, an Austin-based network-service company, will provide the Internet connections for the new complex. The company’s president, Rob Paver, says college students increasingly “demand both speed and mobility from Internet-service providers.” The company believes the one-gigabit service is the first in a residence hall in the United States.