AT&T customers across the country are getting a noticeable speed boost on their phones and home internet connections. The carrier has activated new wireless spectrum it's leasing from satellite company EchoStar, bringing faster 5G to more than 5,300 cities in 48 states.
According to AT&T's announcement, the company deployed mid-band spectrum at 3.45 GHz to nearly 23,000 cell towers in just a few weeks. The rollout is tied to AT&T's $23 billion deal to purchase spectrum licenses from EchoStar, which the carrier announced earlier this year.
The upgrade delivers download speeds up to 80% faster for smartphone users and 55% faster for AT&T Internet Air customers when they're connected to the improved network. In practical terms, a movie that took 4 minutes to download on home internet could now finish in about 2 minutes. The speed increase applies to both mobile and home internet users, with AT&T planning to expand its wireless home internet service to more rural areas where fiber isn't available yet.
FirstNet, the dedicated network for police, firefighters, and other emergency responders that runs on AT&T's infrastructure, also gets the speed and capacity improvements. The company says this helps first responders stay connected during critical moments.
AT&T is using a short-term spectrum manager lease while the full purchase goes through regulatory approval. The deployment gives the carrier more network capacity without building additional cell towers, which the company says will improve long-term operating costs while supporting growth in customers who use both wireless and home internet services.
