Nashville to Get AT&T Gigabit Services

AT&T, which is evaluating 1-Gbps networks in as many as 21 metropolitan markets, has definitely decided to build a gigabit network in Nashville.



The AT&T "GigaPower" network will provide services offered over an all fiber network featuring symmetrical upload and download broadband speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second. 



It is likely AT&T already has concluded that at least some neighborhoods in those 21 metro areas will provide a positive business case for gigabit Internet access, and simply wants expedited permitting and other agreements from cities of the sort Google Fiber has pioneered. 



There are several important associated changes. AT&T historically has been a proponent of "fiber to neighborhood," rather than "fiber to home" for its next generation networks. AT&T now will be shifting to a "fiber to home" access architecture where gigabit services are offered. 



The other huge change is retail pricing and packaging. Few U.S. consumers had appetite for gigabit access when it cost $300 a month. But lots of consumers have concluded that a gigabit per second service costing $70 to $80 a month is attractive.