AT&T Has Spectrum It Needs for 5G, Says Its Wireless Tech Point Man

AT&T is well positioned on 5G, Igal Elbaz, senior vice president-wireless technology, told a virtual Oppenheimer investor conference Tuesday. “Over the last several years, we invested north of $130 billion in our network, added capacity, added coverage,” he said: “We put our spectrum to work. We've modernized our network. We built a nationwide 5G network. We built FirstNet. So that investment paid off.” AT&T is at 80% of its FirstNet build and “several months ahead” of schedule, he said. AT&T has the spectrum it needs for 5G, he said. “The years before we launched … we've done a lot of trials and we have a lot of understanding of the capabilities, how it works." The carrier’s use of citizens broadband radio service spectrum is “mainly in part of our fixed wireless in rural America” as part of the FCC Connect America Fund, he said.