G. Chambers Williams III

cwilliams1@tennessean.com

Blazing-fast Internet speeds are coming soon to Nashville through AT&T's GigaPower service, although the giant telecom company isn't yet saying exactly when, or how much it will cost.

The service, made possible by AT&T's upgraded fiber-optic cable network, will also carry its U-Verse TV programming.

The service will offer Internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit — about 40 times faster than Comcast's popular "Performance" service, and 100 times faster than basic broadband service statewide.

"Deployment of this ultra-fast broadband service for consumers and businesses in Nashville is just the latest step in delivering the newest technology to this community," said Joelle Phillips, president of AT&T Tennessee.

Bringing the service to Nashville will nearly double the number of households in Tennessee that already have access to gigabit broadband service, raising it to about 20 percent statewide.

"We are very pleased that AT&T has selected Nashville for its ultra-high-speed fiber network," Mayor Karl Dean said. "This kind of technology is important to keep our city vibrant and attractive, and it is further proof of how Nashville is positioned as a city of the future."

Tennessee, which now has five cities with gigabit service, already leads the nation in households that can get it — 8.7 percent — according to Corey Johns, executive director of nonprofit Connected Tennessee. The organization is focused on bringing broadband service throughout the state, where 174,000 households still do not have access even to basic broadband.

For comparison, downloading a 45-minute television show on 20-Mbps broadband would take about 90 seconds versus 16 seconds with gigabit service. For a two-hour HD movie, broadband would take 32 minutes versus 4.5 minutes using gigabit service.

The state in second place to Tennessee in the percentage of households that can get gigabit service now is Iowa, at 2.1 percent, Johns said.

In Tennessee, the ultra-fast service already is available in Chattanooga, Bristol, Tullahoma, Clarksville and Morristown. In all five of those cities, the service isn't offered by a telephone or cable-TV company, but through the local electric power provider, each of which has the advanced fiber-optic cable running to its customers.

"This is significant for the Nashville community," Johns said. "Obviously, we believe access to high-speed broadband is necessary for economic development and quality of life.

"Additionally, I think Nashville's selection further solidifies our place among the leading communities where technological innovation and economic growth are taking place," he said. "It signifies that Nashville is that red-hot city worth an investment like this."

Although most people and businesses probably don't yet need the full gigabit speed, making it available cements the city's future, Johns said.

"For a select few, it is relevant to their needs today," he said. "But it also makes Nashville future-proof, not only to have what is adequate for today's needs, but also for the foreseeable future, in an environment where innovation is taking place rapidly and the uses of and needs for bandwidth are evolving."

Google has said it's also considering Nashville as one of the next cities for the rollout of its similar Google Fiber gigabit service, but the company had no comment about AT&T's announcement. A Google Fiber announcement that might include Nashville is expected by the end of the year, Johns said.

Specific locations where the AT&T service will be available for the Nashville market will be announced later, along with pricing. The only market AT&T has begun offering GigaPower so far is Austin, Texas, where it rolled out last December. The introductory residential price there is $70 a month for the first three years, according to the AT&T website.

In contrast, Comcast's Performance broadband, with speeds of up to 25 megabits, is $40 a month, while its Blast 105-megabit service is $60 and its Extreme 150-megabit service is $90.

Comcast has no plans yet to offer gigabit service in Nashville, said Alex Horwitz, the company's vice president for public relations in the South.

"Gigabit has become the buzzword, and there is lots of talk about companies providing the service," he said. "But it's kind of like buying a Ferrari. You're never going to see that speed, nor do you need to. We already provide what the typical customer needs. We're finding that most customers are happy with the service they have now, and it's affordable."

In April, AT&T announced a major initiative to expand GigaPower to up to 100 candidate cities and municipalities across 25 markets nationwide. As part of that announcement, AT&T said it is also considering five other Tennessee areas — Clarksville, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Smyrna and Spring Hill — for the service.

The company chose Nashville for its next wave of rollouts — along with Winston-Salem and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas — because the city "is getting a lot of attention for all the right reasons," said Bob Corney, AT&T's director of public affairs for Tennessee.

"Nashville is a growing, vibrant business community, and its leaders have worked hard to make it a welcoming place for business," Corney said. "Austin and Nashville share many qualities — large and small businesses and entrepreneurs are attracting a lot of capital, and people are doing innovative things. The demands for broadband speed and capacity are increasing rapidly.

"We've seen it in the consumer base," he said. "Companies like AT&T have been offering gigabit-speed services in Nashville for years for large business customers. We now see demand from consumers and small businesses."

Reach G. Chambers Williams III at 615-259-8076 and on Twitter @gchambers3.