AT&T announces gigabit broadband expansion to 38 markets

AT&T says it plans to expand the markets for its gigabit broadband AT&T GigaPower service to at least parts of 38 new metro markets. The expansion of its fiber to the premises (FTTP) footprint will bring the number of metro markets where it offers the service to 56.

The company announced that two of the new markets, Los Angeles, CA, and West Palm Beach, FL, have seen services launched. The 38 markets targeted for service include:

• Alabama: Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery
• Arkansas: Fort Smith/Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock
• California: Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose (Google Fiber is engaged with San Diego and San Jose)
  
• Florida: Pensacola and West Palm Beach
• Georgia: Augusta
• Indiana: Indianapolis
• Kansas: Wichita
• Kentucky: Louisville (which Google Fiber has engaged in discussions)
• Louisiana: Baton Rouge, Shreveport-Bossier, Jefferson Parish region, and the Northshore
• Mississippi: Jackson
• Missouri: St. Louis (which is a previously announced target)
• Michigan: Detroit
• Nevada: Reno
• North Carolina: Asheville
• Ohio: Cleveland and Columbus
• Oklahoma: Oklahoma City (where Google Fiber also has become engaged) and Tulsa
• South Carolina: Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville
• Tennessee: Memphis
• Texas: El Paso and Lubbock
• Wisconsin: Milwaukee
  

AT&T will offer the high-speed Internet service with video services through either its DirecTV acquisition or its U-verse service. In markets where both options are available, customers will be given their choice.

AT&T asserts it has deployed its GigaPower network to more than 1 million locations and expects to more than double availability by the end of 2016. The company says it plans to reach more than 14 million residential and commercial locations with the FTTP infrastructure.

In addition to the potential competition from Google Fiber in some of the new metros, AT&T will face a challenge from Comcast's 2-Gbps Gigabit Pro in Fresno, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose, CA; West Palm Beach, FL; Indianapolis, IN; and Detroit. A local provider in Detroit, Rocket Fiber, has announced a 10-Gbps FTTP service in that city as well (see "Rocket Fiber to bring 10-Gbps FTTP to Detroit").

For more information on FTTx equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.