Is AT&T fiber underground?
Internet: AT&T provides internet service through several technologies like fiber optic cables. A question that many customers are likely to ask is whether the fiber optic cables that enable the delivery of AT&T internet are buried underground or are overhead. Some advantages can be attributed to the underground installation while at the same time disadvantages can also be affiliated with the installation that is above the ground.
Is AT&T Fiber Underground?
The short answer is – it depends. High-speed fiber internet is offered by AT&T through underground and aerial fiber cabling.
In new housing developments and neighborhoods, AT&T typically deploys fiber in conduit during the original construction and subsequent construction of new neighborhoods. Buried cables also reduce vulnerability to weather impacts and offer a more aesthetic appearance without the utility poles and lines crossing through properties.
However, burying fiber can be more cumbersome and expensive – particularly in the developed areas where the ground is rocky and difficult to dig. As a result in most neighborhoods, the AT&T fiber optic cable is taken overhead above utility poles just like the regular telephone and cable television networks. So, even in the areas where the fiber backbone is buried underground, the run from the street or property edge to the house can be an aerial line.
Therefore if you get underground or aerial lines to your door depends on your location and what was already in place there. Both are used by AT&T in communities.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Fiber Optic Cables
There are some distinct advantages and disadvantages when fiber optic internet lines are buried underground instead of delivered via aerial cables: There are some distinct advantages and disadvantages when fiber optic internet lines are buried underground instead of delivered via aerial cables:
Pros:
- Reduced cluttering caused by overhead cables and poles
- Not as easily damaged by storms, trees, animals, accidents, etc.
- Higher reliability and availability in general
- It does not need technicians to climb poles to attend to service calls.
- Does not obstruct overhead power lines
Cons:
- Heavier installation costs particularly excavation costs because of the type of structure.
- Repairs also take time and involve more construction equipment than usual.
- Fixed conduit serving a particular route thus lacks space to accommodate future bandwidth on the same routes.
How Underground AT&T Fiber is Installed
When AT&T does some form of trenching to make way for fiber optic lines for high-speed internet delivery they do it in a certain way and with a certain network architecture.
First, they prepare a ditch approximately 12-18 inches deep for the installation of the PVC conduit pipe. Then fiber optic cables are pulled through that piping system through the neighborhood or property network. Installation teams use specialized equipment that allows them to excavate, install pipe, and pull cables at once.
The fiber cables that connect homes and buildings are also protected through a conduit to the optimum level. Any aerial fiber links to the nearest underground access point. Handholes are placed at convenient positions along fiber routes to allow access for maintaining or repairing fiber routes if necessary.
AT&T also undertakes a lot of planning and surveys to identify the best route through the ground before any digging is done anywhere in any community. Their construction standards also involve the reconstruction of landscapes, sidewalks, pavements, and work zones at different stages of installation.
It’s important to keep an eye on the fiber line type in your address.
Since AT&T employs both underground and aerial fibers to provide fast and reliable internet services across its coverage network, the only way to know which one is available at your premises is to speak to a sales representative.
If you type your address on the AT&T fiber order page, it is possible to get an agent to explain more of the fiber optic lines available for the specific location before ordering service plans or setting up the fiber installation. Some details, such as whether the fiber access is buried or if it is delivered through wires from nearby poles, can be cleared up by AT&T.
This information also assists you in being informed on what to expect as per the necessary pathway into these premises and the installation plan. It is always helpful to be aware of the specifics of the fiber in advance so that people can be ready to do the necessary things like removing the access to the utility right of way or arranging technicians to use bucket trucks to enter into the cable.
With more areas being covered with ultra-fast fiber optic internet, both buried and overhead fiber will remain relevant in serving homes and companies. And AT&T will use a combination of structure solutions to get to the customers.
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.