AT&T invests over $3.85B to enhance Dallas, Houston networks, increases U-verse reach

AT&T (NYSE: T) is making progress expanding its local wireless and wireline network capabilities in its home state of Texas, announcing that it invested more than $3.85 billion in both Dallas and Houston in 2013.

In Dallas, the service provider invested more than $2.6 billion in its wireless and wired networks between 2011 through 2013, including expanding the reach of its U-verse network for consumers and extending fiber to more multi-tenant business locations.

It brought its U-verse Internet and video services to an additional 72,000 new customer locations and built out fiber to an additional 17,736 business locations that reside in 588 multi-tenant business buildings and business parks.

Dallas is also going to become the next stop for its emerging 1 Gbps-capable GigaPower fiber to the home (FTTH) service. Encouraged by the cost dynamics of its initial rollout in Austin, CEO Randall Stephenson told investors earlier this month it would begin rolling out the service this summer.

Meanwhile, in Houston it spent almost $1.25 billion to make similar upgrades to its local wireless and wireline networks. The service provider upgraded its network to deliver U-verse service to another 67,000 customer locations and added 17,740 business locations and 483 multi-tenant business buildings and business parks to its fiber network.

After seeing more demand for its GigaPower service than it initially expected, AT&T said in January that it would double the number of people covered by the FTTH network service this year in Austin after initial sales of the product exceeded its expectations.

Being its home state, AT&T has invested more than $6.55 billion in its local network infrastructure in Texas. Besides Dallas and Houston, the service provider made upgrades in Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi and San Antonio.

Outside of Texas, AT&T recently announced similar network upgrade investments in Alabama, California, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.

For more:
- see the Dallas release
- and the Houston release

Editor's Corner: AT&T's IP transition trial should consider impact on business customers

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