AT&T recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first telephone call with a plan to invest more than $250 billion over the next five years to strengthen and expand its connectivity infrastructure.
The operator stated the investment will help power the next era of connected innovation – from autonomous vehicles to remote healthcare and AI – while reinforcing the company’s role as a foundational provider of digital infrastructure.
Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call over a copper wire in 1876 ahead of co-founding American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) in 1885.
The operator plans to accelerate deployment of fibre, fixed wireless access service, 5G footprint, and satellite services across urban, suburban and rural areas.
With approximately 110,000 employees, AT&T plans on hiring thousands of technicians in 2026 while also expanding technical training and AI‑related upskilling.
AT&T will also broaden its efforts around AI‑driven threat intelligence and network security, while opening parts of its network to allow new vendors into the telecoms ecosystem.
The plan also includes strengthening collaboration with public-sector partners to support national resilience and first responders, while supporting US leadership in global technology and innovation.
CEO John Stankey stated the current “federal telecommunications policy is as strong as I’ve seen in my career, making our commitment to invest possible”.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: AT&T
