AT&T Working to Deliver Gigabit Speeds to More North Carolinians

RALEIGH, NC – AT&T is in advanced discussions with the North Carolina Next Generation Network (NCNGN) to deliver AT&T 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 the areas of Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Winston-Salem where there is demand for ultra-fast broadband and local policies that support broadband network investment. The next step is for the governing bodies of these six NCNGN member communities to ratify the agreement.

The 100-percent fiber network can deliver speeds of up to 1 Gbps, ten times faster than the fastest consumer broadband available in these communities today, as well as cutting-edge TV and voice services.

"The chance to deploy the fastest consumer Internet speeds the Triangle and Piedmont Triad regions have ever seen shows how dedicated its policymakers and university and business leaders are to bringing the latest technology to the state,” said Venessa Harrison, president, AT&T-North Carolina. “We’re encouraged by our conversations with NCNGN and remain committed to investing in our communities and delivering the technology people want.”

Fiber Network to Include Public Sites and Business Buildings
The plan includes options for public Wi-Fi hotspots, free AT&T U-verse with GigaPower at up to one hundred public sites and an all-fiber network connected to up to one hundred business buildings. It also outlines a free 3 Mbps AT&T U-verse high speed Internet offer available to ten affordable housing complexes, up to 3,000 homes. These hotspots, public sites, buildings and apartment complexes will be across the six communities and identified by NCNGN. The plan would also bring AT&T U-verse to the residents and businesses of Durham for the first time.

If the proposed plan is approved, AT&T will work with leaders throughout the Triangle and Piedmont Triad regions to discuss how a fiber platform can advance the area’s technology ecosystem. These talks would also outline where these innovative services can have greater reach throughout the six communities.

“All of the participants in the NCNGN project are encouraged by AT&T’s interest to deliver ultra-fast bandwidth to the Research Triangle and Piedmont regions,” said Tracy Futhey, chair of the NCNGN Steering Committee and vice president of information technology at Duke University. “This kind of private sector investment is essential to ensure our regions remain competitive and at the forefront of next-generation applications that are important to all sectors of the economy.”

This potential investment is part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to expand its fiber network to tens of thousands of North Carolina residents and businesses over the next two years. The company invested more than $1.6 billion in its North Carolina wireless and wireline networks between 2011 and 2013.