Open-Access Networks Explained: A New Way to Get Internet

Colorful painted symbols decorate the streets a few blocks from my Albuquerque, New Mexico, home. Bright arrows and checks mark hidden water and gas lines. Large trucks with boring machines and vast spools of orange pipe are parked along the sidewalks. They’re here to install fiber for Gigapower, an open-access network. 

When Gigapower arrives at my house, it won’t be my internet service provider. Gigapower represents a different fiber model. Here’s what home internet customers need to know about open-access networks.

What is an open-access network and how does it work?                                                                                                                                                                                          

Chances are, your home is covered by one or more internet providers, each with its own infrastructure — whether cable, fiber, DSL or 5G, like my T-Mobile Home Internet. Open-access networks flip this concept on its head.

An open-access fiber network is installed by a company that then sells access to ISPs. That means you can have multiple providers offering plans for your house. They use the same infrastructure but may have different prices, services and bundles.   

Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard about open-access networks before. “Open access is not mainstream,” says Gary Bolton, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “It’s kind of an edge case in the US.”

Bolton says the concept is more widespread in countries where regulations and government involvement mean open access is common.

You’re about to hear more about open-access networks thanks to Gigapower’s ambitious plans to expand fiber into previously overlooked communities. “From an operator’s perspective, it’s a no-brainer because someone else bears the cost of building out the network,” says Bolton.

Types of open-access networks: community vs. commercial 

You’ll find two types of open-access networks in the US. Municipally-owned networks are owned by cities. Private companies own commercial networks. They both work in a similar fashion, usually with multiple ISPs competing for customers.

The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (Utopia Fiber) is a community-owned fiber network covering homes in 21 Utah cities, including Brigham City, Orem, Payson and Woodland Hills. 

The Utopia communities weren’t satisfied with existing home internet options. They wanted fast fiber. “If the incumbent operators aren’t willing to make the investment, then the community takes it in their hands because they need it for economic development,” says Bolton.

Gigapower is an example of a commercial open-access network. The company is a joint venture between telecommunications giant AT&T and investment company BlackRock. In Albuquerque, AT&T Fiber is signed on as an anchor tenant, but that still leaves room for other ISPs to potentially jump on board and compete to offer fiber internet to customers. 

How open-access networks affect internet costs

When ISPs share the same network, they want to stand out from the crowd. That can translate into a complex dance of promotions, pricing and streaming or phone bundle options. Gigapower’s rollout is still young, so we have yet to see how this might play out in the longer term, but we can look to Utopia for clues. 

With the Utopia model, consumers cover two fees. One is the monthly price paid to the ISP and the other is the fiber connection cost for Utopia, which typically runs $30 monthly. Put the two together to get your total. For example, you could sign up for XMission’s 1Gbps plan for $54. Adding in the Utopia fee brings your monthly total to around $85. 

Bolton says that’s pretty typical for gigabit pricing on an open-access network. “You start seeing there’s a lot of bundling going on,” Bolton says. “Providers typically try to find other things of value that they can add to sweeten the deal.” If you’re shopping among ISPs on an open-access network, look at promotions, bundles, add-ons and the provider’s customer service reputation.

Scan the Utopia providers’ pricing and you won’t see huge swings at the 250Mbps, gigabit or 2.5Gbps plan levels. But there is one area where pricing varies widely. Not all ISPs offer 10Gbps plans, but those that do have prices ranging from $110 to $200 per month. That won’t likely affect very many customers. Here’s how to figure out how much internet speed you really need. 

What’s next for open-access networks

Utopia and Gigapower are two big names in open-access networks, but others exist. Colorado Springs Utilities, for example, is building out with Ting Internet as its initial anchor tenant. Other communities scattered around the country — including Ammon, Idaho and Ashland, Oregon — have open-access networks as well.

On the commercial side, Ubiquity is expanding with a focus on Arizona, California, Nebraska and Texas. SiFi Networks specializes in citywide open-access fiber with networks under construction in California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and New York. 

Cities that feel passed over for fast fiber broadband will continue to consider open-access networks. Meanwhile, Gigapower’s rapid expansion could bring more commercial companies into the fold. “I think it’s a great model and I wouldn’t be surprised if other people took advantage of it,” says Bolton. 

While gigabit speeds are common across fiber networks, most can offer faster services to homes. Utopia, for example, goes up to 10Gbps with some ISPs. AT&T Fiber typically offers up to 5Gbps. The open-access networks going in across the country can be scaled up to handle the internet demands of the future. “This is the final network for at least the next couple of generations,” says Bolton.

There’s a hunger for fiber. Albuquerque has been a cable and DSL town for too long. Gigapower isn’t the only fiber player in the city. Ezee Fiber, Vexus Fiber and Quantum Fiber are all staking out parts of town with traditional networks, but Gigapower is coming in hot.

I’ll notice Gigapower when it shows up on my street to install the bright orange tubes to run fiber. After that, I likely won’t give it much thought. I’ll be dealing with AT&T Fiber as my ISP, and, perhaps someday, I’ll be comparing AT&T with a competitor using the same network. 

Ultimately, what’s most important to me as a customer isn’t how the fiber gets here, just that it gets here. If that means ISPs competing on pricing and bundles down the line, then all the better.

Open-access networks FAQs