Ubiquity promises open fiber network in Georgetown, Texas

GEORGETOWN, Texas – Ubiquity, a private infrastructure investment firm that develops and manages critical communications infrastructure throughout the United States, has announced plans to break ground on a city-wide open-access fiber optic network in Georgetown, Texas in early 2022. The first customers will come online in the summer of 2022, while the full buildout will be completed over a two-to-three-year period and cover most of the city.

The company's open-access model makes the fiber system available to multiple tenants, including any local and national cable and internet service providers, as well as other technology platforms, such as 5G wireless cell sites. This approach reduces the cost and disruption of construction for providers looking to expand to Georgetown and maximizes connectivity choice to residents, businesses and anyone bringing connected solutions to the city.

"Ubiquity is incredibly excited to bring next generation fiber infrastructure to Georgetown," Ubiquity Managing Director Greg Dial said. "Our open-access fiber model is designed to accommodate both current and future connectivity use cases including support of mobile carriers, smart city applications, edge computing, and a broad choice of broadband providers. The build-once, connect-all approach will reduce city disruption during installation while maximizing access to what has become a critical utility."

The project will pave the way to a more diverse list of internet service provider choice. The infrastructure provides a massive amount of flexible capacity, fueling connectivity growth for Georgetown over the next 20-plus years. Regardless of the technology adopted over this time period, open-access fiber connectivity will be available to support it quickly and economically. Ubiquity plans to announce its initial service provider tenant in January.

Ubiquity's multi-tenant, open-access approach is intended to increase the speed of deployment of high-capacity fiber infrastructure to areas of current and future need. This approach differs from current fiber build models that favor a single carrier that offers service to a specific type of end user such as cell towers, schools, or residential neighborhoods. Instead of multiple companies deploying capital to build single-use networks, Ubiquity's model invites tenants to connect to customers 'investment free' via long-term access contracts. This approach not only provides choice of service to residents but offers open-access fiber supported locations the flexibility to add use cases for years to come.

"One of Ubiquity's core business strategies is providing cities like Georgetown the same access to multiple providers of telecommunications services as urban markets," added Ubiquity Managing Partner Jamie Earp. "We are excited to expand our investment in Texas beyond the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the rapidly growing north Austin region fits our vision perfectly."

Plans are underway for continued growth of the Ubiquity fiber network in the greater north Austin area with additional build announcements expected in the coming weeks.

Ubiquity