GVTC taps Calix to deliver 1 Gbps fiber-based broadband speeds for 3 Texas cities

GVTC Communications may not be the size of AT&T (NYSE: T) or draw the same sizzle as Google Fiber (NASDAQ: GOOG), but the local telephone cooperative is providing 1 Gbps-capable services for its GigaRegion fiber to the home (FTTH) network customers in Boerne, Bulverde and Gonzales, Texas.

Leveraging Calix's E7-20 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) and 700GE family of optical network terminals (ONTs), the service provider will bring fiber-based broadband service to a mix of 39,000 homes, businesses and anchor institutions just north of San Antonio.

Beginning in September, GVTC said that besides broadband data, it will offer consumers and local businesses a suite of voice, video and security monitoring services throughout the GVTC GigaRegion.

Taking a cue from AT&T and Google Fiber, GVTC's build is based on a public/private partnership with the municipalities of Boerne, Bulverde and Gonzales, which GVTC says are some of the fastest growing communities in Texas. Under the terms of the agreement, GVTC and these three towns will "work together on a two-year comprehensive marketing plan to promote the business and lifestyle benefits of GVTC's GigaRegion."

Having delivered fiber-based broadband services for over a decade, GVTC is hardly a FTTH novice.

Over the past five years, the service provider has continued to increase its FTTH network speeds, beginning with 40 Mbps in 2009 and 80 Mbps in 2011. While it did not reveal the pricing for the new 1 Gbps service, the 40 and 80 Mbps tiers are priced at $99 and $125, respectively.

Texas overall has become a hot bed for FTTH services.

AT&T began offering its U-verse with GigaPower service last December in Austin with plans to bring the service to Dallas later this year. However, the telco is only offering eligible users 300 Mbps initially with a path to upgrade to 1 Gbps. 

Meanwhile, cable overbuilder Grande Communications said it's going to offer its own 1 Gbps fiber-based service to about a quarter of the cable provider's existing 75,000 Austin customers for $65 a month without a contract. 

For more:
- see the release

Related articles:
GVTC Communications brings 40 Mbps to Texas users
GVTC serves up 80 Mbps unlimited FTTH data service tier