Open-Access Networks Explained: A New Way to Get Home 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. Locating local internet providers 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. Th ... Read full article.