How do you check if I can get Fibre at my house?
Having fiber internet at your house can greatly improve the speed and stability as compared to the standard cable or DSL connection. But how do you know if it is possible to get a fiber optic connection in your residential area? Below are the primary approaches to determining an appropriate level of care.
Check with Your Internet Provider’s Availability Tool
The biggest internet service providers such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast all have online checkers where you can enter your address and zip code to see if fiber internet from that provider is accessible at your residence.
The availability results may specifically state if fiber optic internet is available or they may list the current maximum internet speed that is offered which is a gigabit connection for fiber. You can use these tools on provider websites or begin the process of searching for a new plan to see if they have any available.
This is often the quickest method to identify if fiber is accessible to you, so try this first. Just be mindful that some providers start service by district, so even if they have not reached you yet, they will soon as they begin expanding the service. If fiber is not shown on the first search, recheck every six months.
Communicate with Your Local Authorities
Another method of verifying the availability of fiber optic internet is the consult with your local city or county administration. Most of the municipal governments have embarked on offering their fiber broadband service or have entered into fiber deployment with the service providers locally.
Your local government might have a web page, maps, brochures, or any other sources that can show the existing and planned fiber connection in your community. For instance, in the case of the website, it may categorize the deployment by neighborhood, providing you with a chance to find out when your neighborhood will be granted access. If you do not find the information on the Internet, you can contact your local public utilities or the technology department.
Use Independent Lookup Tools
It is also possible to use some third-party broadband search tools for fiber besides using maps of internet providers.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has an interactive National Broadband Map where you can find providers and internet speed in your area. It will display cable, DSL, fiber, and fixed wireless companies providing service to a particular location. It can tell you who may offer fiber and the fastest speed advertised to compare services in your area.
BroadbandNow is another search site that provides information on the providers and offers fiber availability searches by zip code or address. It gives information on fiber ISPs and the fastest connection possible at an exact place. This, just like the FCC map, can reveal additional providers that you might not have thought of initially.
Follow Community Message Boards
It is also useful to ask your neighbors or other people within your community about the current situation of fiber broadband rollout for municipal networks. Search for any city groups or neighborhoods on Nextdoor or Facebook where there might be talk about internet connection.
People may come back with information on fiber construction in a given area or when the new address was assigned for subsequent service connections. Some of the members might even have fiber connections and may be willing to guide you on the available providers, the available plans, and the process of installation.
Use Address Confirmation When Registering
Last but not least, while registering for an internet connection, ask the service providers for the address verification to be sure about the availability of fiber optic internet in your area.
Usually, when one selects the availability check during the ordering process, the majority of ISPs will indicate before the purchase if fiber can be activated or they will come out and explain that DSL or cable internet is the technology being supplied to the location. As the fiber rollout progresses, it is prudent to occasionally recheck and confirm that certain previously unreachable units can now access the service.
Tired of waiting for a fiber connection?
Even when looking for the availability of fiber internet service, it will come with a disclaimer that fiber may be available somewhere in your locality but not at your exact location. Physical barriers during construction, regulatory issues, changes to equipment, and other challenges slow down the fiber rollout.
Just as importantly, if a fiber optic internet connection is expected in the future to your locality, ensure that you are getting the best possible speed from existing providers on older technology networks in the meantime.
You can call your cable or phone provider to check out new equipment or to upgrade your service package for higher speed until the fiber rollout. This will enable the users to be connected to the fastest available speed on existing lines until fiber optics' high performance and reliability are achieved.
Then ensure that you occasionally perform a check on the fiber availability using the tools mentioned above to find out when the new service may be available for your home. This way you can start benefiting from the enhancements of fibre internet as soon as it becomes available in your region.
It’s important to be persistent and check back now and then for availability and you will get ultra-fast fiber broadband speeds one day.
Summary
Several possibilities are available on how to track down when, if at all, fiber optic internet is available at your specific location; From using provider lookup tools to contacting government offices. With global access increasing year on year, do not lose touch with fiber deployment to learn the current state of availability to your home. If you discover that fiber services are affordable for your locality do not hesitate to embrace the major speed, reliability, and performance enhancements that fiber connectivity affords over outmoded internet architecture.
Upgrade to faster, more reliable AT&T Fiber Internet today! Call us at +1 844-905-5002 and get connected with speeds that keep you ahead.