AT&T and Corning have entered into a multi-year agreement valued at more than $3 billion under which Corning will supply the fiber and cable AT&T needs to expand its network and bring fast, reliable internet to more Americans. The agreement supports AT&T’s plans to strengthen its fiber infrastructure as internet use and demand driven by artificial intelligence continue to increase.
The deal is part of AT&T’s broader commitment to expand connectivity across the United States. The company said the agreement will help it deliver on its goal of bringing fast, reliable internet to 60 million Americans by the end of 2030, with Corning’s fiber and cable solutions supporting network deployment and installation efficiency at scale.
AT&T Expands Fiber Infrastructure with Corning Agreement
The agreement combines Corning’s fiber and cable manufacturing capabilities with AT&T’s network expansion programme. AT&T said the arrangement will provide the materials required to expand its network as data consumption continues to rise.
Key elements of the agreement include:
- Corning will supply the fiber and cable required for AT&T’s network expansion.
- The multi-year agreement is valued at more than $3 billion.
- The arrangement supports AT&T’s commitment to reach 60 million Americans with fast, reliable internet by the end of 2030.
- Corning’s solutions are intended to support faster network deployment and improve installation efficiency at scale.
AT&T said the average household using its fiber service now consumes more than 1 terabyte of data each month, compared with an average of less than 200 gigabytes in 2016. The company expects monthly usage to reach between 2 and 2.5 terabytes by 2030 as streaming, cloud services, business applications and AI use continue to grow.
John Stankey, Chairman and CEO of AT&T, said,”Fiber remains the gold standard for superior internet connectivity, and AT&T is the nation’s leader in fiber,” said John Stankey, Chairman and CEO of AT&T. “Fiber’s speed, reliability, and capacity remain unmatched for any home or business. We deeply value our long and successful relationship with Corning and look forward to continuing our work together as we expand the nation’s largest fiber network and make the long-term investments needed to keep America connected.”
Corning Supplies Fiber For US Network Expansion
AT&T said fiber provides the capacity needed to support residential and business applications, including video calls, cloud services, AI tools, live camera footage and other data-intensive uses. The company describes fiber as the high-capacity foundation connecting homes, businesses and communities, while wireless networks provide connectivity when customers are on the move.
The agreement strengthens the companies’ role in building fiber infrastructure in the United States while supporting domestic manufacturing and network deployment.
Corning is continuing to expand its U.S. fiber and cable manufacturing operations, including facilities in North Carolina. AT&T said its technicians will use the supplied materials to build and maintain networks connecting customers across the country.
Wendell Weeks, Chairman, CEO, and President of Corning, said,“Corning and AT&T have worked side by side for generations to connect people across this country, and this agreement is the next chapter in that partnership,” said Wendell Weeks, Chairman, CEO, and President of Corning. “By pairing our large, U.S.-based advanced manufacturing with AT&T’s network leadership, we can keep co-innovating to build the dense fiber networks that will drive the future of connectivity, while sustaining thousands of highly skilled American jobs and strengthening domestic supply chains.”
AT&T said its wider connectivity investments include more than $250 billion committed over five years to strengthen U.S. connectivity infrastructure. The company’s combination of fiber and wireless networks is intended to support connectivity across homes, businesses and communities, with satellite technology complementing those networks in some remote areas.
The more than $3 billion agreement provides AT&T with additional fiber and cable supply as it continues expanding its fiber infrastructure and network capacity across the United States.