Gigapower CEO says open access network is ‘picking up speed’ as joint venture expands to NM

Just over a year has passed since AT&T and asset management firm BlackRock formed Gigapower, a joint venture (JV) that’s providing a wholesale open access fiber network to AT&T’s out-of-footprint territory. Gigapower announced plans to build in Albuquerque, New Mexico. CEO Bill Hogg said the JV is currently constructing networks in five states; Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania. AT&T, which is serving as Gigapower’s anchor tenant, is offering service on the network in Arizona, Florida and Nevada. Hogg told Fierce Gigapower is still planning to reach 1.5 million initial passings over a three-year period but declined to share the JV’s current passings. Aside from Albuquerque, Gigapower has publicly announced markets in Arizona (Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa), Pennsylvania (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre) and Las Vegas, Nevada.