- AT&T recorded 367,000 fibre additions and 279,000 Internet Air additions in the second quarter
- Its fibre network reached 38.6 million consumer and business locations at the end of June
The fact
AT&T recorded 646,000 net additions across its Advanced Connectivity internet services in the three months to the end of June. The total included 367,000 fibre additions and 279,000 additions for Internet Air, its fixed wireless service. Its fibre network reached 38.6 million consumer and business locations by the end of the quarter. That footprint includes assets acquired through AT&T’s purchase of Lumen’s mass-market fibre business in February.
The assessment
AT&T is adding home internet connections through two networks that operate differently. Fibre can serve premises only after the fixed network reaches and connects them, while Internet Air carries broadband traffic over AT&T’s mobile network alongside other wireless services. The second-quarter figures confirm that both services added connections, but they do not establish how their performance or commercial returns compare.
For BTW readers, AT&T must continue extending and connecting its fibre network while deciding where its mobile infrastructure can support more Internet Air traffic. The two services can both add broadband customers, but each places a different requirement on the network carrying them.
What to watch
Watch the split between AT&T’s fibre and Internet Air net additions in coming quarters, together with changes in its fibre footprint. A rising share for either service would indicate which access network is supplying more of the operator’s broadband growth.