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Exclusive: The private sector is building the first fiber optic manufacturing facility in the western United States. The industry is looking to expand broadband access and meet record demand to bring jobs back to the country.
Corning, in partnership with AT&T, will make the announcement Tuesday from its Gilbert, Arizona, future factory site, which is expected to be operational by 2024. This project will expand the company’s manufacturing capacity for optical cables, which are essential for Internet access. And 5G.
The move will bring manufacturing jobs back to the country as the U.S. economy tries to catch up with competitors on various technologies. Japan and China are the largest exporters of fiber optic cables, according to the latest data tracked by the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
Demand for their products surged during the pandemic after supply chain issues caused short-term shortages and more Americans began working remotely, according to the Pew Research Center. about three-quarters of have access to broadband internet at home.
Corning Builds Fiber Optic Cable Moat
| ticker | safety | last | Change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. | AT&T Corporation | 17.78 | -0.11 | -0.61% |
| GLWMore | Corning Corporation | 34.36 | -0.28 | -0.81% |
The project is expected to create 250 jobs, a far cry from what experts say the industry needs to reach its long-term goals. Corning estimates that by 2025, an additional 850,000 jobs will need to be created once fiber optic cables are manufactured and ready for deployment.
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An image showing the inside of a fiber optic cable. (iStock/iStock)
“This new facility will provide additional fiber optic capacity to meet the record demand for fast, reliable connectivity seen by the industry,” AT&T CEO John Stankey said in a statement. We are also working with Corning to create a training program that will equip the next generation of engineers with the skills to build the networks that will extend high-speed Internet access to millions of Americans.”
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AT&T CEO John Stankey at the MediaLink Presents: MASS-terclass: The New Age of Mass Personalization panel at The Times Center Stage during 2016 Advertising Week New York on September 28, 2016 in New York City. will give a lecture at (John Lamparski/Getty Images for Advertising Week New York/Getty Images)
The project is part of Corning’s approximately $500 million private commitment to expand broadband access. This comes amid renewed focus on providing internet access to Americans after the bipartisan infrastructure law was passed last year, allocating his $65 billion to new spending on broadband. was broken.
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“This investment is an important step forward for our country, building a world-class broadband network that will help close the nation’s digital divide,” Stankey added.
