What’s hotter than Arizona in August?
Demand for high-speed fiber connections and the materials that make them possible. That’s what.
Consumers and businesses are clamoring for high-speed internet access throughout the world, so demand is high for the materials to build these networks. A recent report forecasts a 9.5% compound annual growth rate for the fiber optics market between 2022 and 2028.
So it’s fitting that AT&T announced we’re expanding our award-winning fiber internet service to Mesa, Ariz. AT&T Fiber, our reliable, high-speed broadband is expected to be available to local residents in 2023.
Mesa is one of the largest and fastest growing cities in America. And AT&T sees a great opportunity to deliver better access to education, jobs, healthcare and more through the power of fiber connectivity. AT&T expects to offer speeds of up to 5-Gigs of fiber-based broadband to more than 100,000 homes in and around the Mesa area.
With this expansion, Mesa area residents can connect to new opportunities with fast, reliable and secure internet service. “We’re bringing reliable, high-speed internet and potential new job opportunities to this community,” said John Stankey, Chief Executive Officer, AT&T. “Fiber is the right foundation that can evolve over time to handle society’s future connectivity needs, and our goal at AT&T is to continue investing in and expanding our fiber footprint.“
That’s not the only hot news out of Arizona. Corning Incorporated also announced yesterday that it is expanding manufacturing capacity for optical cable, based on a long-term relationship with AT&T.
Corning CEO Wendell Weeks made the announcement at Mesa Community College with AT&T’s John Stankey, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly and other officials.
Corning will build a new cable manufacturing plant in Gilbert, Ariz., adding 250 high tech jobs to the local economy and extending Corning’s strategic investments in optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions to meet that soaring industry demand.
“We believe access to broadband means access to opportunity – from education to healthcare to quality of life,” said Corning Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Wendell P. Weeks. “Corning is doing our part to make sure everyone – regardless of where they live – has access to reliable, high-speed connections enabled by optical fiber. We are proud to continue working with AT&T and to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity and train the next generation of American workers – and we’re grateful for the opportunity to work with our customers and with the U.S. government to make this a reality.”
This is good news for AT&T as we continue to expand our service with a fiber-first strategy.
It’s also good news for our customers. Fiber, with its incredibly fast speeds and capacity to handle massive amounts of data, is the best technology for today and tomorrow. It will be needed as we expect U.S. data consumption on our network to increase 5 times between 2021-2025.
Yes, it’s red hot in Arizona. And so are customer expectations for high-speed internet. With the private sector focused on meeting this demand, the future is bright for connectivity in the U.S.
