CATENAA, Tuesday, November 25, 2025-AT&T has switched on EchoStar spectrum to expand 5G speeds and fixed-wireless access coverage across the continental United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.
The activation covers 23,000 cell sites serving 5,300 cities, leveraging 30 MHz of 3.45-GHz and 20 MHz of 600-MHz spectrum acquired in an August $23 billion deal.
The upgrade is expected to improve mobile 5G speeds by up to 80% and enhance AT&T’s Internet Air service by 55%, while also strengthening FirstNet emergency services network performance.
Executives said the deployment will reduce the need for costly new cell site construction, offering long-term operational efficiencies.
Internet Air, AT&T’s fixed-wireless access solution, could extend coverage to areas not currently served by the company’s fibre network.
The telco aims to pass 60 million premises with fibre by 2030 using a combination of its own network, Lumen’s assets, and its Gigapower joint venture.
The spectrum activation also supports AT&T’s growing FWA customer base, which reached 1.3 million after a record 270,000 additions in the third quarter.
Fibre net additions in the same period totaled 288,000, indicating strong demand for high-speed broadband options.
Executives highlighted that mobile coverage remains faster to deploy than fibre, and the combination of enhanced 5G and FWA positions AT&T as a leading provider of advanced broadband and wireless services.
Analysts said the move strengthens AT&T’s strategy of serving areas beyond its fibre footprint while maintaining network performance and expanding capacity for emerging applications.
