AT&T (NYSE: T) is continuing its shift into competitive mode when it comes to gigabit services, and is moving forward with its deployment of GigaPower into Louisville, Kentucky. Local news sources reported sighting the carrier's around the city, with AT&T confirming that its technicians are installing fiber in various neighborhoods.
With Google Fiber planning to bring its 1 Gbps service to Louisville soon, AT&T is stealing a march on the search engine and network giant, following a pattern it has established in other cities beginning in Austin, Texas, and more recently in California around the San Francisco metro area.
According to WDRB, technicians are currently focused on passing homes, rolling out fiber via pole attachments, or underground.
AT&T initially announced its intention to bring GigaPower to Louisville back in December, shifting in after Google Fiber made its announcement that it had chosen Louisville as a Fiber recipient. But the competitive move was tinged somewhat by a tiff over pole access. After Louisville's city council approved an ordinance that makes it much easier for Google Fiber to receive approval to attach its fiber optic cable to existing utility poles, AT&T filed suit against the city. The carrier argued that the city has no jurisdiction when it comes to approving attachments to poles that AT&T owns.
AT&T Kentucky President Hood Harris told WDRB that the carrier is meeting consumer demand for high-speed internet service.
While the Louisville rollout will progress in phases, AT&T is continuing to add GigaPower cities to its list. The carrier plans to bring 1 Gbps services to at least 56 metros in the United States this year.
For more:
- see this WDRB article
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