Ezee Fiber

smilingbob

Just got a post card today stating Ezee Fiber is going to start install in our neighborhood. We are surrounded by AT&T fiber so I found this interesting - I guess fiber companies can come into adjacent neighborhoods that aren’t going to be built out by the current provider? Our current choices for internet are Comcast and AT&T DSL (a blazing 25/3Mbps) but go a few blocks to the next hood and you can get fiber. I verified online that our address was good to go and signed up immediately. Wish me luck, boys. I might be graduating out of Prepaid soon. $69/month for Gig up to $119 for 8Gig, all fees taxes included with a WiFi 6 or 7 Eero.

terabitz

There’s nothing that says providers cannot overbuild, but generally ROI is the biggest key in whether or not to overbuild.

As for AT&T fiber, if you live in a development with an HOA, it’s possible that some years ago they were not permitted to expand to your neighborhood. However, Ezee probably reached out and got permission to build.

CommunityMember

terabitz There’s nothing that says providers cannot overbuild, but generally ROI is the biggest key in whether or not to overbuild.

Every location is different, but typically there is an ₅₀% customer service rate (so if you have 20 million passings you have 10 million customers (all hand-waving math, and, of course, your mileage will vary)). An over builder tends to expect to get half of the half of the passings (so 25%) as long as the service is considered to be somewhat equivalent. That low ROI is why there are so few over builders, as HSI is consider somewhat of a natural monopoly (although fixed wireless has impacted that monopoly).

smilingbob

To follow up, we still haven’t gotten EZFiber deployed in our area, and it’s been nearly 3 months now since the notice. Interestingly, we got a door hanger the other day stating AT&T is installing fiber to our neighborhood as well. I’m wondering how both can deploy fiber in the same hood, so I’m guessing EZ pulled out or AT&T muscled in since they have fiber already installed in the area surrounding us?

hex0101

smilingbob Nothing stops both providers from deploying FTTH as the infrastructure is completely separate. However, it is not typically done from a business perspective. Neither provider will be aware of each other’s plans either. AT&T probably sees that no fiber is available, and is now deploying their own to currently be the sole FTTH provider. Also, helps to fill in a gap if the surrounding neighborhoods already have AT&T FTTH. Faster decommissioning of legacy DSL equipment. (If AT&T is not offering Internet Air in your neighborhood). AT&T wants to shut down the copper network by year end 2029.

smilingbob

hex0101

hex0101 AT&T probably sees that no fiber is available, and is now deploying their own to currently be the sole FTTH provider.

Yeah, maybe it’s a coincidence but AT&T had zero interest in deploying fiber in our pocket neighborhood until EZ started sending out notices. They are also trying to beat them on price, offering Gig for $65/month w/auto pay vs. $69/month for EZ. The regular price for AT&T gig in my area is $90/month, but the offer ~~specifically states it is not a promotion~~ (doesn’t say it’s a promo, says save $15/month on Gig), price is good as long as service is maintained. I guess we’ll see what transpires, not looking forward to my yard being dug up twice though TBH. 😐

When we moved in here it was Comcast or AT&T DSL @ 25/3Mbps, but now they’ve discontinued that offer and it currently shows only AT&T Air available. Wondering if they’re getting hammered by people leaving for fiber competition similar to Comcast.

cypherstream

Comcast became quite the overbuilder in our state of Pennsylvania in 2022 to now. They overbuilt many smaller cable companies that had hold on certain areas for decades. Companies like Service Electric, Blue Ridge, Armstrong…

So Comcast did their thing and now guess what? All three I mentioned above are doing FTTH build outs. I’m going to be the benefactor of Service Electric Cablevisions FTTH build out. I’d say conduit and pedestal wise, they are 80% done with my development (450 some homes). It was quite a mess and you could hear the horizontal boring machine going pow pow pow pow pow pow pow pow pow pow from 8AM till 5PM. Same thing in Summer through Fall of 2022 when Comcast came in here and built a new HFC system and installed 3 nodes in our development. All they are focusing though this year is installing conduits in all of the underground subdivisions in our township. When that is all done, THEN there will be fiber contractors pulling through cable and engineering teams doing splicing and tap work while headend teams prep more Nokia PON switches, backbone fibers run, etc… They are saying 2026 sometime we can order it despite all the digging going on this past month.

dishrich

hex0101 Nothing stops both providers from deploying FTTH as the infrastructure is completely separate. However, it is not typically done from a business perspective.

True, but amazingly here in many neighborhoods in Springfield, IL, there are now TWO fiber providers, on top of the existing Comcast (coax) system - AT&T Fiber (who is our ILEC) & i3 Broadband, which is a regional fiber overbuilder. My neighborhood got i3 Broadband back in fall 2020 along the back easement of my house, followed by AT&T Fiber in summer of 2022 in the front utility easement…which I had installed in Jan 2023. I’m still amazed we were blessed with even ONE FTTH provider, let alone two - & it’s even more amazing how AT&T is continuing FTTH overbuilds on top of i3 in many neighborhoods, who was already there over 2+ years ago!

dishrich

cypherstream I’m going to be the benefactor of Service Electric Cablevisions FTTH build out.

Isn’t your neighborhood getting another FTTH overbuild, via your ILEC or some other provider?

hex0101

dishrich I think it was: Frontier bulit out PON in the neighborhood, and SEVC is overlaying PON fiber over the existing HFC network in the neighborhood. Comcast (who bulit out an HFC system in 2022) will remain HFC. (N+2?)

cypherstream

dishrich in my particular subdivision we will only have SECV for fiber. Verizon is the ILEC and there’s no plans from them to dig up our neighborhood for yet a third time to install FIOS.

Though about a mile east from me, it’s Windstream territory. They have fiber in all aerial locations and some underground locations.

I drove in some rural areas today and saw SECV fiber deployed in district township and what’s interesting is they put their SECV logo right on the fiber splice cases along with an identifier like BFT1044 for example. It’s run in line with the coax network just on the other side of the pole.

badtlc4

smilingbob I have 3 fiber ISPs at my house. There are no limits.

kirkyg

dishrich This is amazing to me. I live in houston - a metroplex of 10 million people and have att fiber around me but my section has only comcast now for viable competitive option. I have a hand access fiber box 350 feet from my address for the past 4 years and nothing. And there are some areas with 2 and 3 fiber options? sigh.