AT&T announced its launch of ultra-fast internet service in the Huntsville area on Tuesday, fulfilling a promise it made late last year.
Officials would not say how many customers nor which specific geographic areas would have access to the fiber internet. But it will cover parts of Huntsville and Madison as well as stretching beyond those city limits into Madison County.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon – whose district includes parts of Madison and Huntsville – were among a handful of elected officials who attended the announcement at the DirecTV Call Center in Huntsville.
“When you start looking at it, we have a whole ecosystem of a number of companies who are providing fiber right now,” Battle said. “That’s a benefit to the whole society. Competition makes all the prices stay good. But competition also means everybody is served.
“We’re going to be able to serve every residence in Huntsville through the Huntsville Utilities Google effort. But with AT&T, they will also be able to provide Madison and Madison County. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
AT&T joins a fiber marketplace in Huntsville that includes Southern Light and Google, through a partnership with Huntsville Utilities, plans to reach all HU-serviced homes beginning next year.
WOW! Internet also announced on Tuesday that its 1 gigabit broadband internet has been launched to its customers in Huntsville as well as Auburn.
Fred McCallum, president of AT&T Alabama, said the company began a soft launch of its fiber initiative in the Huntsville area during the summer. The Tuesday announcement formally declared that the AT&T fiber is now ready for full utilization.
Huntsville/Madison is the first installation of AT&T fiber internet in Alabama, McCallum said, with fiber soon to be available in Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile. He said announcements for those locations will be made in the coming months – possible by the end of the year.
“I’m happy that it is here first,” he said of Huntsville. “It’s natural. This is the technology hub of our state, so I’m happy we’re here first. But the other cities will come along closely behind.”
The Huntsville area is one of about 32 markets where AT&T fiber is available, McCallum said, and the company has plans to expand that reach to about 67 markets.
AT&T fiber will provide a 1 gigabit internet connection that the company says is 20 times faster than cable internet. A fiber connection is available to customers at a cost $90 per month and higher. AT&T said that its fiber service will allow customers to download a 90-minute HD movie in 34 seconds.
“This is part of the value that adds to a smart community,” Battle said. “When you start looking at the internet of things, all of the internet items that will pile one on top of the other, you’re going to need broader bands, bigger portals and faster speeds to be able to use that.
“But as you use that, you get more efficient and you add to your GDP and you add to your home value. All of it makes a community a smarter community, more technology driven and is a more valuable community.”
