AT&T Plans 70% Open RAN by 2026, Fiber Expansion to 50M Locations
AT&T’s shares have underperformed the Wireless National industry over six months, pressured by wireline division losses and high debt. The company is growing postpaid wireless subscribers with lower churn and higher-tier plans, while advancing fiber expansion to 50 million locations by 2030 and targeting 70% Open RAN deployment by late 2026.
1. Stock Performance and Debt Burden
AT&T’s shares have underperformed the Wireless National industry by 0.3 percentage point over the past six months, weighed down by persistent losses in its wireline division and a high debt-to-capital ratio that continues to raise investor concern.
2. Wireless Business Momentum
The company is seeing healthy momentum in its postpaid wireless segment, posting lower churn and increased adoption of higher-tier unlimited plans that support average revenue per user growth and customer retention.
3. Fiber Expansion Strategy
AT&T aims to pass more than 50 million fiber locations by the end of 2030, leveraging pro-investment provisions under recent legislation to accelerate its integrated fiber expansion strategy and capture demand for high-speed broadband.
4. Open RAN Deployment Goals
The company targets deploying Open Radio Access Network technologies for 70% of its wireless network traffic by late 2026, seeking to reduce costs, increase network flexibility and foster vendor diversity across its 5G infrastructure.