Atlanta weighs speedy Internet along Beltline

Atlanta development officials said Thursday they are considering ultra-high-speed Internet service as a way to attract businesses to the loop of trails and planned transit known as the Atlanta Beltline.

Invest Atlanta is considering the prospects, and cost, for adding advanced fiber optic cable-based Internet service to the 22-mile loop around the city, said Eloisa Klementich, the agency’s managing director for business development.

The cable could be buried beneath the trails and planned transit routes, where infrastructure upgrades have placed utilities underground. Many cities including Chattanooga, Seattle and Kansas City have or are developing “gigabit” Internet infrastructure, which can move data many times faster than current high-speed service, in a bid to attract high-tech business.