AT&T and BlackRock have started their joint venture — Gigapower LLC — to offer fiber network services to internet service providers and businesses in select metropolitan areas across the United States. This will be achieved through a commercial wholesale open access platform.
AT&T and BlackRock will have shared ownership and governance of the Gigapower joint venture.
AT&T, a major fiber investor in America, and BlackRock, a prominent infrastructure investor, will expand access to high-speed, reliable fiber for more Americans. They believe that now is the opportune time to create the largest commercial wholesale open access fiber network in the United States, enabling greater access to high-speed connectivity.
AT&T, as Gigapower’s inaugural tenant, will extend the availability of its fiber internet service, AT&T Fiber, to a larger number of customers and communities.
AT&T is already the largest provider of fiber internet in the nation, with plans to reach over 30 million consumer and business locations in its traditional service areas by the end of 2025.
Collaborations like Gigapower will enable AT&T to expand its fiber services beyond these areas, ensuring broadband access technologies are available to more communities, John Stankey, CEO of AT&T, said.
Bill Hogg, CEO of Gigapower, has outlined ambitious plans to deploy multi-gig fiber in many more cities across the country.
Gigapower’s expansion plans
Gigapower’s expansion plans go beyond its initial fiber deployment in Mesa, with additional cities being targeted. Gigapower intends to bring fiber to the Chandler and Gilbert areas of Arizona, as well as parts of Northeastern Pennsylvania (including Wilkes-Barre and Scranton), Alabama, and Florida — regions that are currently outside AT&T’s service coverage.
Gigapower plans to deploy a multi-gig fiber network to an initial 1.5 million customer locations across the nation using a commercial open access platform. The Gigapower fiber deployment will be incremental to AT&T’s existing target of 30 million-plus fiber locations, including business locations, by the end of 2025.
Gigapower will serve customers outside of AT&T’s 21-state wireline service footprint with fiber access technologies in innovative and efficient ways. AT&T will leverage its wireless sales capabilities to sell fiber to customers in Gigapower territories.
