Diana Goovaerts
What is hollow core fiber?
An advanced optical technology, hollow core fiber (HCF) is a potential tool to help slash network costs and enable advanced use cases with latency-sensitive requirements. The fundamental idea behind HCF is that light travels faster through air than glass. Thus, as the name implies, HCF cables have been designed to have an air-filled center channel which is surrounded by a ring of glass tubes. Generally, a cross-section of a hollow core cable looks a bit like honeycomb with a hole in the middle.
AT&T puts cable companies on notice with fiber plan
AT&T is looking to give cable companies a run for their money after years of lax competition, with CFO Pascal Desroches expressing confidence in its ability to steal share. The company is currently aiming to double its fiber footprint to 30 million customer locations by the end of 2025; Desroches reiterated that AT&T will primarily focus on filling in coverage within and adjacent to its existing footprint.
Telecommunications companies report ‘cascading impacts’ from chip shortages
A bevy of US telecommunications groups warned the Federal Communications Commission that an ongoing global semiconductor shortage could slow network deployments and impede their ability to fulfill key requirements associated with certain federal programs. Responses to the FCC's recent call for information on the shortage's impacts have flooded in from a multitude of organizations, including CTIA, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Rural Wireless Association (RWA), Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), NCTA – The Internet and Television Association, Verizon, Qualcomm, and M
AT&T eyes multi-gig move as part of fiber plan
AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh highlighted the potential for the operator to boost average revenue per user (ARPU) by offering multi-gigabit capabilities on its fiber infrastructure, shedding more light on an ambitious network expansion plan. AT&T bumped up speeds on its lower broadband tiers to 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps, and currently offers a 1-gig plan as its premium service.
Verizon CEO renews call for broadband subsidy boost
Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg argued policymakers should focus broadband funding more on promoting affordability rather than accessibility. “I think that when it comes to accessibility, I think that all carriers are building quite extensively,” he said, adding Verizon covers “almost all individuals in this country with” its wireless network. “Now we're turning that into fixed wireless access or using our fiber-to-the-home.
Redzone flags $500,000 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund funding mix up
Maine-based fixed wireless access (FWA) provider Redzone Wireless followed Charter Communications in seeking a waiver from commitments made in the Federal Communication Commission’s recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction on the grounds its promised deployments would be redundant. In December 2020, Redzone won $507,752 in RDOF support to cover 755 locations in its home state with broadband service.
AT&T eyes higher fiber target and fixed wireless access as DSL replacement
AT&T CEO John Stankey conceded the operator’s plans for fixed wireless access (FWA) technology may not be as ambitious as those of its competitors, but he noted the technology could end up being a good replacement for legacy DSL connections.
SiFi Networks is building 10 Gbps open access fiber across US
SiFi Networks is dangling 10 Gbps capabilities in front of US operators, aiming to entice them to adopt a more European infrastructure model and sign on as tenants on its wholesale fiber network rather than building out the last mile themselves. SiFi has build commitments in place covering 13 cities across seven states. This will eventually yield a projected footprint of “well over” 40 million feet of fiber covering more than half a million homes and businesses.
AT&T targets fiber boost after WarnerMedia deal
AT&T CEO John Stankey outlined plans to boost spending on fiber and 5G rollouts, after the company announced a move to spin off its WarnerMedia unit and combine it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal. AT&T is aiming to more than double its fiber footprint in the coming years to reach 30 million customer locations by end-2025, “with the single goal of offering the best fixed broadband service in the market.” On the wireless side, he said the operator is planning to
Comcast exec talks fiber expansion strategy
Comcast Cable CEO David Watson highlighted the company’s efforts to accelerate expansion of its fiber network by focusing on three primary opportunities for new builds. And he noted Comcast plans to ramp testing of offload capabilities for its wireless service later in 2021. Watson said the company added 2.5 million new residential and commercial passings over the past three years, stating this was a pace it aimed to maintain.