Telco TV

AT&T is doubling down on its U-verse strategy and plans to pour billions into 4G broadband. But the telco still doesn’t have an appetite for a pricey fiber-to-the-home buildout.

As part of a three-year, $14 billion capital-investment plan, AT&T said it will widen its fiber-based U-verse network by more than one-third — or about 8.5 million additional customer locations, for a total potential of 33 million homes — by the end of 2015, while boosting downstream Internet speeds to up to 75 Megabits per second.

As part of a three-year, $14 billion capital investment plan, AT&T said it will widen its fiber-based U-verse network by more than one-third -- or about 8.5 million additional customer locations, for a total potential of 33 million homes -- by the end of 2015, while boosting downstream Internet speeds to up to 75 Mbps.

The telco outlined the plan, dubbed Project Velocity IP (VIP), Wednesday at its annual investor day in New York. Project VIP includes efforts to expand and enhance both its wireless and wireline IP broadband networks.

Verizon Communications said dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy could have a “significant” effect on fourth-quarter 2012 operating results, but that it could not yet estimate the cost.

Thousands of the telco’s employees are still working to restore service for wireline and wireless networks, with the storm directly affecting a large portion of Verizon’s Northeast footprint, including New York City and New Jersey. (Photo above: Verizon pumps out a flooded central office facility in Lower Manhattan.)

Cable operators and telephone companies in the Northeast were working overtime Tuesday to restore service in some areas after Hurricane Sandy -- the biggest storm to hit the region in recorded history -- caused widespread power outages and significant coastal flooding.

Cablevision Systems, whose entire New York area footprint was in Sandy’s path, said it was experiencing “widespread service interruptions, primarily related to the loss of power.”

Comcast Spotlight, the cable operator’s ad-sales division, is getting even cozier with AT&T with plans to integrate U-verse TV into consolidated scheduling network grids in 21 markets effective with the new year.

In February 2011, Comcast Spotlight struck an agreement with AT&T AdWorks, the telco’s advertising arm, to sell inventory for U-verse TV in markets where Comcast also offers TV service.