AT&T on Monday switched on its 1 Gbps fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network in Kansas City, putting it into direct competition with Google.
"The AT&T GigaPower network will help encourage economic development in the area by facilitating a new wave of innovation through enhanced opportunities for education, health, research and small business growth," declared Mike Scott, president of AT&T Kansas, in a statement.
There are two Kansas Cities lying adjacent to one anoth er; one in Missouri, the other in Kansas. AT&T’s network is available to homes and businesses in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Kansas – including Overland Park.
The U.S. telco giant has three tariffs on offer, two of which are at the same price point and provide broadly the same services as Google Fiber.
1 Gbps Internet access will cost AT&T customers $70 per month. For $120 per month, customers will also receive U-Verse TV, which comes with around 200 live TV channels as well as access to VoD content. It’s highest-priced contract costs $150 per month and adds unlimited fixed-line voice into the mix.
Google launched its Kansas City fibre network in 2012. Its entry-level 1 Gbps service also costs $70 per month, while its range-topping tariff boasts more than 150 live TV channels and, like AT&T, is available for a monthly fee of $120. Google also offers basic broadband with a maximum connection speed of 5 Mbps for free.
Google and AT&T already compete directly in Austin, Texas, after the latter upgraded its FTTP network to 1 Gbps.
"We’ve moved quickly to bring more competition to the Kansas City area for blazing-fast Internet speeds and best-in-class television service," said John Sondag, president of AT&T Missouri. "But this is just our initial launch. We look forward to continuing to expand our AT&T GigaPower network in the Kansas City area where there are strong investment cases and receptive customers."
AT&T plans to deploy FTTP in 25 cities. For its part, Google is in the midst of rolling out fibre in another four cities, and has identified a further five potential locations: Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and San Jose.
