AT&T Debuts ‘GigaPower’ In Dallas/Ft. Worth

Following its launch of ‘GigaPower’ in Austin late last year, AT&T has begun to offer services on its fiber-based, 1-Gig-capable network to parts of Dallas and Fort Worth, where the telco competes with Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications and Grande Communications.

AT&T said it is initially offering speeds up to 1 Gbps to residents and small businesses in parts of Highland Park and University Park.

The telco added that it has also begun to offer speeds up to 100 Mbps via its U-verse platform in portions of Dallas and Fort Worth and several surrounding cities, including Allen, Arlington, Euless, Fairview, Granbury, Irving, McKinney, North Richland Hills, Weatherford and Willow Park. Customers in those areas will be able to upgrade to 1-Gig by the end of 2014, AT&T said.

In eligible areas in Dallas/Fort Worth, AT&T is selling 1-Gig service to residential subs starting at $120 per month, and 100 Mbps starting at $90 per month.  When bundled with the U200 U-verse TV package, the service fetches $150 per month when paired with 1-Gig broadband, and $120 per month when matched with the 100 Mbps tier. AT&T is also offering a $100 credit in front of customers who combine their U-verse, GigaPower and AT&T Wireless accounts.

In Austin, AT&T is selling the 1-Gig standalone service for $70 per month under a “Premier” plan that requires customers to participate in a targeted ad program, or $99 per month for a “Standard” tier that doesn’t include the advertising piece.

On the competitive front, Time Warner Cable has already introduced a 300 Mbps (downstream) service in Austin, and is planning to do the same in Dallas as the MSO continues the rollout of “TWC Maxx” all-digital upgrades to several additional markets.

AT&T has announced plans to expand GigaPower to several more markets. Here’s an updated list of all of them and the incumbent wireline providers in each:

-Austin (Time Warner Cable, Grande Communications)

-Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (Time Warner Cable, Grande Communications, Charter Communications)

-Cary, N.C.* (TWC)

-Charlotte, N.C.* (TWC)

-Carrboro, N.C.* (TWC)

-Chapel Hill, N.C.* (TWC)

-Durham, N.C.* (TWC)

-Greensboro, N.C. (TWC)

-Houston, Texas (Comcast)

-San Antonio, Texas* (TWC, Grande Communications)

-Overland Park, Kan.* (TWC)

-Miami, Fla. (Comcast)

-Nashville, Tenn.* (Comcast)

-Raleigh, N.C.* (TWC)

-Winston-Salem, N.C. (TWC)

*Also a potential buildout site for Google Fiber

In April, AT&T announced it was  exploring an expansion of GigaPower to as many as 100 additional cities across 25 markets. It has also proposed to expand GigaPower to an additional 2 million customers as a condition of its pending acquisition of DirecTV. - See more at: http://multichannel.com/news/technology/att-bring-gigapower-miami/383121...