AT&T says U-Verse expansion increasing

NEW YORK, June 5 (Reuters) - AT&T Inc. (T.N) has seen the pace accelerate for installing its new video and high-speed Internet service called U-Verse, with about 600 installations a day, an executive at the top U.S. phone company said on Tuesday.

AT&T had said late last month that it was installing the service to about 500 homes per day, and that it had more than 30,000 users. In April, it had reported an installation rate of 2,000 per week.

"Based on our experience with customers and on our experience with technology in the field, our confidence in U-Verse is stronger than ever," Ernie Carey, AT&T's vice president of advanced network technologies, told a Deutsche Bank investor conference. "Sales and installs are ramping."

AT&T aimed to install the service to 10,000 houses per week by the end of the year, he said.

The company pitches U-Verse as an alternative to cable television operators' all-in-one packages of video, Internet and phone service. Its rival Verizon Communications (VZ.N) has also launched a similar service called FiOS.