AT&T lights up U-verse data, video at new Knoxville development

AT&T (NYSE: T) may be more conservative on the fiber to the premises (FTTP) front, but it has been finding a growing niche for fiber-based broadband in Greenfield developments and its new agreement with Dewhirst Properties in Knoxville, Tenn., is no different.

Under the terms of the new agreement with Dewhirst, AT&T will provide FTTP-based services to a new multi-dwelling apartment community that will service more than 60 residents at West Jackson Row Apartments, located at the corner of W. Jackson Ave. and S. Gay Street.

Similar to a recent deal it struck with Camden Property, the service provider will offer its U-verse voice, video and data services over the fiber connections going into each apartment unit via its Connected Communities program. 

Knoxville's Mayor Madeline Rogero, praised the buildout as a way to make its downtown area more attractive. 

"The expansion of AT&T U-verse supports economic growth downtown and now city dwellers will have the technology they've long been asking for," she said in a release. "The revitalization of downtown is certainly attracting new investments."

While FTTP offers AT&T the ability to deliver much higher speeds than what it can deliver on its fiber to the node (FTTN)-based networks, the telco is only delivering 24 Mbps for the West Jackson Row Apartments developments. Initially only offering 18 Mbps over its FTTP networks, a report emerged that it was going to increase its FTTH data connection speeds to 24/3 Mbps, up from 18/1.5 Mbps.

But since it will have a FTTP network already in place, it could easily offer higher speeds of 45-100 Mbps that AT&T said it will begin rolling out this year as part of its Project VIP upgrade initiative. In July, it began offering a 45 Mbps FTTN-based service in California and Nevada.

Tennessee has been one of AT&T's key network investment targets. As of the first half of this year, the telco has invested more than $175 million in its wireless and wired networks in the state.

For more:
- see the release

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