AT&T Lights Up its Fiber Deployment

There’s a Battle Going On.

AT&T’s recent launch of gigabit service in Indianapolis is another move by the provider to stay ahead of its competition. In this case, AT&T’s GigaPower roll-out is designed to preempt Comcast, but recent announcements from the company show it’s willing to take on any competitor, anywhere in the AT&T footprint, including Google.

AT&T’s fiber roll-out is based on GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network), which has been a staple of the company’s FTTN architecture. Late last year, AT&T announced it was expanding its GPON services to 38 cities. The company will extend past the node to deliver FTTH service to more than 12.5 million homes.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. Huntsville, Alabama is the home to some of the nation’s true rocket experts, and Google recently announced that it’s rolling out Google Fiber to this space-technology dominated community. Huntsville is also in AT&T’s footprint, and the carrier is deploying its GigaPower service there as well. These providers know that businesses and consumers demand speed, and fiber is the best option for deploying these services. Orange conduit is popping up everywhere.

AT&T is not alone in battling new providers or MSOs that want to further encroach on ILEC territories. But while some carriers are content with extending copper through VDSL2 and bonding, AT&T is committed to service delivery over fiber.

For companies that provide OSP and other construction services to AT&T, there are opportunities for new work. Currently AT&T is building out its network in the following cities: Anaheim, CA; Arcadia, CA; Augusta, GA; Bakersfield, CA; Baton Rouge, LA; Bedford, OH; Birmingham, AL; Charleston, SC; Columbia, SC; Columbus, OH; Detroit; Doral, FL; Elmwood Park, IL; Fort Smith, AR; Huntsville, AL; Indianapolis; Jackson, MS; Little Rock, AR; Louisville; Lubbock, TX; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee; Mobile, AL; Montgomery, AL; Northshore, LA; Pensacola, FL; Reno, NV; River Forest, IL; Sacramento; Shreveport, LA; Skokie, IL; St. Louis; Tulsa; Weston, FL; and Wichita, KS.

Network installers, horizontal directional drillers, trenching and micro-trenching companies, fiber splicers, and other OSP services are all needed to help build out the network. And AT&T isn’t alone in rolling out new services. Goggle Fiber roll-outs are underway now in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, NC; Salt Lake City, UT and San Antonio, TX. Google is also looking at other markets that include Dallas; Irvine, CA; Jacksonville, FL; Los Angeles; Louisville, KY; Oklahoma City, OK; Phoenix; Portland; San Diego; San Jose, CA and Tampa, FL.

Other providers, including CenturyLink, Frontier, Verizon, and Windstream, are investing in their networks. In Durham, NC, copper-rich Frontier spent $80 million on its fiber network to slow down Google Fiber. CenturyLink expanded its gigabit services in parts of Seattle to shut out Comcast. Windstream, another copper-heavy ILEC, recently launched its fiber service in four markets.

If your company provides any OSP or fiber installation services, now is the time to act. The battle between the carriers will only become more furious.