AT&T Projects Deploying 120 MHz for 5G by End of 2023

AT&T will deploy 120 MHz of mid-band spectrum for 5G, covering 200 million people by the end of 2023, said the carrier Friday as it updated analysts. “Enabling faster speeds, increased capacity and lower latency, this valuable mid-band spectrum complements the company’s existing 5G footprint, which covers more than 255 million people in more than 16,000 cities and towns,” the company said. AT&T also plans to double its fiber footprint to 30-plus million locations, adding 3.5 million to 4 million customer locations each year. “Today we are at the dawn of a new age of connectivity, and AT&T is positioned to take advantage of a strong and unique market opportunity that plays into the DNA of our company,” said CEO John Stankey. AT&T's new plan is “to become Verizon (Holding to the adage that you should always be yourself unless you can be Batman … then always be Batman),” New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin said in a note to investors: “AT&T’s narrative for the business is remarkably similar to what we think of as Verizon’s, though slightly less well articulated, and the incremental revenue opportunities that they describe seem remarkably similar to Verizon’s.”