An announcement made at a news conference Thursday revealed Suddenlink customers located in B-CS will now have the option to upgrade Internet speed to up to one Gigabit per second, effective immediately.

Additionally, the existing residential Internet plans offered by Suddenlink will receive a speed increase completely free of charge.

The upgrade is part of “Operation Gigaspeed,” an initiative Suddenlink launched in August 2014. The goal is to eventually have Gigabit internet available for all Suddenlink customers nationwide, a service which is currently only available to 8 percent of U.S. cities.

In the initial press release detailing the operation, Suddenlink CEO Jerry Kent said while Google and AT&T have their own programs to help create better Internet infrastructure, the companies are very selective about who gets the upgrade.

“While companies like Google and AT&T are offering or planning to offer one Gigabit service in a relatively few, selected neighborhoods in urban and large suburban cities,” Kent said. “We will take it to small and mid-sized markets and rural areas – and in those communities, it will be available to 100 percent of our customers.”

James Benham, CEO of B-CS startup JBKnowledge, said the new upgrade is about more than streaming speeds — it’s also about assisting businesses.

“This is about much more than people streaming video,” Benham said. “This is about the businesses people can start from their home. That’s what America is about, small businesses starting out of a garage or a house.”

David Gilles, Senior VP of Operations for Suddenlink, said Gigabit internet speeds are much faster and exclusive than others.

“To put it into perspective, a movie that would’ve taken 10 minutes to download on a 10 megabit speed will now be downloaded in a matter of seconds,” Gilles said. “There are many more benefits than just entertainment. Today’s announcement puts B-CS on par with just a select few cities in the US with the ability to provide its citizens this kind of service.”

Chuck Konderla, city councilmember and owner of Fifth C Fine Jewelry, said the increase in speed is an increase in potential for aggieland.

“I truly believe that Bryan and College Station, with the help of our biomedical corridor, we could very well see the cure for things like aids and cancer,” Konderla said. “This is yet another tool companies and people who are pioneering tech can use to make that happen.”

The new service will cost approximately $100 a month, with discounts applied to pre-existing bundles.

As for student apartment complexes, those that provide Internet service for residents will have the option to upgrade.

A&M’s Internet service will remain unchanged, as it is already a multi-gigabit service.