AT&T is expanding high-speed internet to properties that lack fiber access by deploying G.fast technology. The company has rolled out G.fast services in eight metropolitan areas and is offering the service to multi-dwelling units (MDUs) in 14 additional cities.
G.fast delivers internet over existing coaxial wiring to apartments and condominiums, providing speeds up to 500 Mbps while avoiding the disruption and cost of installing new cabling to each unit. This makes it an attractive option for buildings where running fiber to every unit is impractical.
The initial eight metropolitan areas with G.fast deployments are Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, and Tampa. The 14 additional cities where AT&T is marketing G.fast to MDUs include Albany, N.Y.; Baltimore; Buffalo, N.Y.; Cincinnati; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Hartford, Conn.; Omaha, Neb.; Pittsburgh; Portland, Ore.; Providence, R.I.; Richmond, Va.; Rochester, N.Y.; Salt Lake City; and Washington, D.C.
All of these markets sit outside AT&T’s traditional 21-state home internet footprint. The service currently offers speeds of up to 500 megabits per second, and the G.fast platform can support higher speeds in the future as demand and network upgrades allow. In addition to internet service, residents in these buildings can access DIRECTV without requiring a satellite dish at each individual unit.
Ed Balcerzak, senior vice president of AT&T Connected Communities, said that while fiber-to-the-unit remains the ideal broadband solution where feasible, technologies such as G.fast and fixed millimeter-wave enable connectivity for properties that cannot support full fiber deployments. He emphasized AT&T’s commitment to connecting apartments and condos nationwide and noted that innovations like G.fast help the company reach more residents.
Alongside the locations already mentioned, AT&T has also introduced its ultra-fast internet in two additional metro areas: Biloxi–Gulfport, Miss., and Savannah, Ga. AT&T now markets its 100% fiber network, branded AT&T Fiber, to more than 5.5 million locations across 57 metropolitan areas, with over 2 million subscribers currently choosing the provider for their internet service.