Joining battle once again with Google Fiber, AT&T says it has launched its 1-Gbps U-verse with AT&T GigaPower in parts of Kansas City, MO, and surrounding communities in both Missouri and Kansas.
The U.S. Tier 1 service provider says it will offer the 1-Gbps service via fiber to the home (FTTH) technology to residents and businesses not only to parts of Kansas City, MO, but parts of Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe, and Overland Park, KS, as well as "surrounding communities located throughout the metro area." AT&T adds that it expects to include Independence, MO, and Shawnee, KS, in the future.
The region is one of several where AT&T will compete directly with Google. While AT&T beat Google Fiber to the market with 1-Gbps services in Austin, TX (see "AT&T completes gigabit upgrade for Austin customers"), it is playing catch up to Google Fiber in the Kansas City area.
Meanwhile, the two companies are lining up to compete in other markets as well. AT&T also is offering the 1-Gbps service Dallas, Fort Worth, Raleigh-Durham, and Winston-Salem. It plans to offer the 1-Gbps capabilities in Atlanta; Charlotte and Greensboro, NC.; Chicago; Cupertino, CA; Houston; Jacksonville, FL; Miami; Nashville, TN; St. Louis; and San Antonio, TX. Other markets also are under consideration (see "AT&T releases list of potential new 1-Gbps FTTH markets"), although company executives also warned that they may curtail their expansion in light of ongoing "regulatory uncertainty" surrounding Net Neutrality (see "AT&T to FCC: You've got our FTTH plans all wrong").
Google, meanwhile, also has announced a list of target cities (see "Google Fiber targets 34 cities and towns for expansion"). The list includes several on AT&T's roster; the company subsequently announced definitive plans to move into Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham (see "Google Fiber to bring FTTH to four southeastern cities, looks at five more").
AT&T's offerings generally are more comprehensive that Google Fiber's; Google Fiber doesn't offer voice services or address business customers except in Kansas City (see "Google Fiber to offer small business services in Kansas City via FTTP"). In the new roll our around Kansas City, AT&T will offer three classes of service: Internet only, Internet and video, and a triple play of Internet, video, and voice.
"We've moved quickly to bring more competition to the Kansas City area for blazing-fast Internet speeds and best-in-class television service," said John Sondag, president of AT&T Missouri. "But this is just our initial launch. We look forward to continuing to expand our AT&T GigaPower network in the Kansas City area where there are strong investment cases and receptive customers."
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