AT&T has checked Raleigh off its list of North Carolina cities that have ratified the deployment of its fiber-based GigaPower service.
AT&T has been working with the North Carolina Next Generation Network (NCNGN) to deploy its 1 Gbps service across six cities in the area. Similar agreements have already been ratified by city officials in Winston-Salem and Durham. Ratification agreements are still pending with the cities of Carrboro, Cary and Chapel Hill.
In addition to the six cities, the NCNGN is also comprised of four universities and local business leaders who have banded together to develop high-speed broadband networks in the state.
“We’ve already received great input from North Carolinians eager for the fastest available speeds,” said Venessa Harrison, president, AT&T-North Carolina. “This ultra-fast fiber build will help foster innovation, enhance education, and encourage growth.”
AT&T first launched GigaPower in Austin late last year with a 300 Mbps symmetrical service. Subscribers to that service will automatically be upgraded to the 1-Gig speed when it becomes available sometime this year.
AT&T hasn’t said if the North Carolina cities were launching with the full 1-Gig service or starting out with 300 Mbps, but its probably the latter given that AT&T would point out the faster speed if it were available.
AT&T didn’t say what areas of Raleigh would get the GigaPower service, but it typically cherry picks the more affluent areas that have expressed a need for faster data speeds.
AT&T plans on offering GigaPower in Dallas over the summer and is also looking at another deployment in San Antonio. AT&T has previously said it would be expanding its fiber-based 1 Gbps service to as many as 100 additional markets.
AT&T will compete with Google’s expansion plans in North Carolina, which were announced in February, as well as Time Warner Cable. AT&T has said it plans on expanding its U-verse footprint to more areas of North Carolina, which will lead to more direct competition with Time Warner Cable.
AT&T said it had invested more than $1.6 billion in its North Carolina wireless and wireline networks between 2011 and 2013.