A new collaborative workspace called the AT&T Center for Innovation could open in downtown Austin as soon as early 2015, according to a company spokeswoman.
The Dallas-based communications company announced plans July 16 to renovate a 15,000-square-foot space at 323 Congress Ave.—the former downtown Capital Metro downtown office—to create the new innovation center.
AT&T revealed plans for the new Center for Innovation earlier this year in conjunction with plans to bring gigabit-level Internet speeds to Austin. GigaPower, the company's high-speed Internet service, has speeds of 300 megabits per second with anticipated upgrades to occur for GigaPower customers in the coming months. Austin will be the first city to receive such high speeds from AT&T, with Dallas expected to follow.
AT&T's Center for Innovation will leverage that high-speed Internet access to help accommodate collaborations between Austin's technology groups, developers, artists, entrepreneurs and more. The two-floor workspace will serve as a meeting ground and hub for creating innovative new products, according to an AT&T news release.
Also, the space will be free to use, an AT&T spokeswoman confirmed, although scheduling details have not yet been confirmed.
"Inspire, innovate, invent—that is what our new Center for Innovation is all about," said Dave Nichols, president of AT&T Texas, in the news release. "When great minds have access to resources, technology and each other, the potential is endless. We're excited about the possibilities as we prepare to launch an epicenter for the visionary, creative ideas that will benefit Austin and beyond."
The center's focus will be on data analytics, next-generation video and the development of mobile applications. In addition, the center will provide technology developers access to educational resources and AT&T television, mobile and online platforms as well as a new studio where community members can create content for AT&T platforms.
The news releases also indicates that "the new Center for Innovation will serve as a gathering place for new ideas, new partnerships, new innovation and real working solutions—all to leverage the best of Austin and make it an even more livable city."
AT&T GigaPower services first debuted in Austin in December. Plans call for the company to double the number of household with access to AT&T's high-speed service by the end of the year.
