AT&T Continues Gigabit Push

AT&T (NYSE:T) is continuing its gigabit fiber push in Austin, TX, and parts of North Carolina.

The telco says it's in discussions with the North Carolina Next Generation Network to deliver U-verse with GigaPower to parts of the Triangle and Piedmont Triad regions. NCNGN is a regional initiative focused on stimulating the deployment of next generation networks to North Carolina.

The proposed plan outlines potential fiber deployments in Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. The plan includes options for public WiFi hotspots, free AT&T U-verse with GigaPower at up to 100 public sites and an all-fiber network connected to up to 100 business buildings. It also includes free 3 Mbps Internet in 10 affordable housing complexes, up to 3,000 homes.

In Austin, AT&T and real estate developer PulteGroup announced an agreement to offer U-verse with GigaPower triple-play services over a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to four currently open for sale single-family communities and five existing communities in the Austin area. AT&T launched U-verse with GigaPower in Austin in December. Current speeds are up to 300 Mbps downstream and upstream, with plans to go up to 1 Gbps later this year. The telco also plans to expand to other markets, such as parts of Dallas, in 2014 and beyond.