AT&T (NYSE: T) is serving up its U-verse product suite to New Hanover County, N.C., residents thanks to its Project Velocity IP (VIP) network build initiative to expand and enhance IP wireline networks.
Initially serving Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, AT&T said that it will bring the U-verse services to other cities and neighborhoods in upcoming months.
Wilmington Chamber President Connie Majure-Rhett said that the debut of U-verse will make it a more attractive community for businesses and residents.
"This next-generation broadband and video is going to enhance the quality of life in our area and will be a plus as we work to attract new companies to locate here," Majure-Rhett said in a release.
Overall, AT&T expects the wireline IP network to reach approximately 57 million customer locations through Project VIP.
During the recent Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference, John Stankey, group president and chief strategy officer for AT&T, said that while the company still has work to do on the wireline portion of Project VIP, it is seeing the penetration results laid out in the business plan.
"The ARPUs are tracking to our expectations and in some cases we're ahead of plan so we feel really good that the validation of investing in broadband and investing in additional bandwidth and infrastructure was the right thing to do and is bearing the fruits we need to do with it," Stankey said.
While AT&T won't release its third-quarter earnings until Oct. 22, U-verse was a big factor in its second-quarter wireline revenue mix, growing 24.8 percent year-over-year.
For more:
- see the release
On the hot seat: AT&T's Hughes on FTTB: We're making steady progress
Related articles:
AT&T, Verizon say broadband data caps are helpful, not harmful
AT&T appeals to power broadband users with U-verse, HBO and Amazon Prime bundle
AT&T's Stankey: The wireline portion of Project VIP is on track