Colorful painted symbols decorate the streets a few blocks from my Albuquerque, New Mexico, home. Bright arrows and checks mark hidden water and gas lines. Large trucks with boring machines and vast spools of orange pipe are parked along the sidewalks. They’re here to install fiber for Gigapower, an open-access network.
When Gigapower arrives at my house, it won’t be my internet service provider. Gigapower represents a different fiber model. Here’s what home internet customers need to know about open-access networks.
What is an open-access network and how does it work?
Chances are, your home is covered by one or more internet providers, each with its own infrastructure — whether cable, fiber, DSL or 5G, like my T-Mobile Home Internet. Open-access networks flip this concept on its head.
An open-access fiber network is installed by a company that then sells access to ISPs. That means you can have multiple providers offering plans for your house. They use the same infrastructure but may have different prices, services and bundles.
Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard about open-access networks before. “Open access is not mainstream,” says Gary Bolton, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “It’s kind of an edge case in the US.”
Bolton says the concept is more widespread in countries where regulations and government involvement mean open access is common.
You’re about to hear more about open-access networks thanks to Gigapower’s ambitious plans to expand fiber into previously overlooked communities. “From an operator’s perspective, it’s a no-brainer because someone else bears the cost of building out the network,” says Bolton.
Types of open-access networks: community vs. commercial
You’ll find two types of open-access networks in the US. Municipally-owned networks are owned by cities. Private companies own commercial networks. They both work in a similar fashion, usually with multiple ISPs competing for customers.
The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (Utopia Fiber) is a community-owned fiber network covering homes in 21 Utah cities, including Brigham City, Orem, Payson and Woodland Hills.
The Utopia communities weren’t satisfied with existing home internet options. They wanted fast fiber. “If the incumbent operators aren’t willing to make the investment, then the community takes it in their hands because they need it for economic development,” says Bolton.
Gigapower is an example of a commercial open-access network. The company is a joint venture between telecommunications giant AT&T and investment company BlackRock. In Albuquerque, AT&T Fiber is signed on as an anchor tenant, but that still leaves room for other ISPs to potentially jump on board and compete to offer fiber internet to customers.
How open-access networks affect internet costs
When ISPs share the same network, they want to stand out from the crowd. That can translate into a complex dance of promotions, pricing and streaming or phone bundle options. Gigapower’s rollout is still young, so we have yet to see how this might play out in the longer term, but we can look to Utopia for clues.
What is an open-access network?
An open-access network is one way a community overlooked for fiber can access fast, symmetrical broadband services. If private companies aren’t willing to invest, cities can use a municipal model instead. On the commercial side, open access networks remove the burden of installation and operation from ISPs, which can then piggyback on the network to reach customers. Plus, customers may benefit from competition among ISPs looking to differentiate themselves through pricing, customer service, perks or bundles.
Can open-access networks help make internet access more affordable?
