AT&T started offering its U-verse television service over phone lines Monday in Greater Sacramento, the 25th market to launch the pay video service.
The telecommunications giant joins Comcast, SureWest Communications, DirecTV and Dish Network in the lineup of companies offering video services to local customers in the region.
U-verse will be available in parts of Sacramento County and select areas of the cities of Sacramento, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Gold River, Rancho Cordova, Lincoln, Rocklin, Stockton and Modesto.
AT&T's service is made possible by the company's fiber-optic network. The video service runs over fiber-optic cables that link to neighborhood "nodes" that are installed an average of 3,000 feet from homes. From the nodes, the TV programming runs over traditional copper phone lines.
AT&T officials declined to say just how many homes have access to U-verse, citing competitive reasons.
On average in U-verse markets, about 30 percent of homes are eligible to receive the service, said Loretta Walker, AT&T vice president and general manager for the Sacramento area.
"U-verse is a game-changer for TV," Walker said, adding that AT&T now has 51,000 U-verse customers nationwide.
About 4 million homes are eligible nationwide to receive the service. That's expected to double later this year to 8 million eligible homes, Walker said.
AT&T plans to continue to increase U-verse availability throughout the are.
U-verse offers customers a combination of digital TV, including access to 26 high-definition channels, and high-speed Internet. AT&T is offering a variety of TV packages with more than 320 channels to choose from.
Most programming packages include up to three HD-capable receivers, including one with a digital video recorder that allows customers to pause, rewind and record live TV, at no extra charge. The DVR is capable of recording up to four programs at once. Most DVRs, by contrast, can record two shows at the same time.
U-verse TV offers start at $44 a month, and the lowest-price bundled service includes broadband Internet and 60 channels for $59 a month. The most expensive bundled service includes Internet download speeds of 6 megabits per second and 309 channels for $129 a month. The highest-priced package includes 34 digital music channels.
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