AT&T dedicates $1.6B to enhance fiber, U-verse reach in North Carolina

AT&T (NYSE: T) invested more than $1.6 billion to improve its wireline and wireless networks in North Carolina between 2012 through 2014, adding more customers to its U-verse network and expanding the availability of its 1 Gbps fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service.

On the FTTH end, the service provider launched its U-verse with GigaPower service in parts of Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem. Plans are underway to make the service available in Charlotte and Greensboro.

But while FTTH is a key priority for AT&T, the service provider continued to make strides with its traditional fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) U-verse service, extending it to a total of 26,000 new residential and small business locations.

Among the new locations in North Carolina where AT&T added U-verse service were: about 9,500 new customer locations in Charlotte, Gastonia and Rock Hill; nearly 10,500 new customer locations in Greensboro and High Point; and close to 6,000 new customer locations in Raleigh and Cary.

In related news, the service provider announced that it also invested about $625 million to make upgrades in the Kansas City area during the same period.

Through the project VIP program, AT&T enhanced its U-verse voice, video and data services to 7,000 new locations. It also launched its AT&T Business Fiber service in the area as part of its broader fiber-to-the-business (FTTP) initiative.

In February, AT&T named Kansas City as the latest city to get its U-verse with GigaPower 1 Gbps FTTH service, putting it in direct competition with Google Fiber (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Consolidated Communications for fiber-based broadband service.

Under that buildout plan, the service provider will make the 1 Gbps service available in parts of Kansas City, Mo., as well as parts of Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe and Overland Park in Kansas and in surrounding communities located throughout the metro area.

Outside of Kansas City and North Carolina, AT&T also plans to bring FTTP services to up to 100 cities, including 21 new major metropolitan areas.

Upon completion of its acquisition of DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV), AT&T has promised it will expand its FTTP network to an additional 2 million customer locations. All of these 2 million locations are over and above what the company announced in 2014.

For more:
- see the North Carolina release
- see the Kansas City release

Related articles:
AT&T challenges Google Fiber, Consolidated with 1 Gbps in the Kansas City area
AT&T targets 100 cities for its fiber-based broadband service
AT&T to bring 1 Gbps FTTH service to North Carolina
AT&T to double size of Austin FTTH roll out, sees strong customer demand
AT&T's Stephenson: We'll equip other markets with FTTH