According to foreign media reports, U.S. telecom operator AT&T has formulated its latest strategy to 2023 and published financial expectations, in which the clear message is to return to core communication capabilities, and investment will focus in particular on fiber optics and 5G mobile networks.
At the heart of the new strategy is warnerMedia's merger deal with Discovery, which is expected to end in the second quarter of this year, a move that AT&T CEO John Stankey said would put the company "on the starting line of a new era" while it stands "at the dawn of a new era of connectivity."
Explaining how the divestiture after the massive merger with Warner will affect the company, John Stankey said, "The transformation we've made over the past 18 months has brought us to this point while delivering outstanding operational results. We will become a simpler, more focused company, determined to become the best broadband provider in the United States. ”
"We plan to invest more in our key growth areas – 5G and fiber," he said. At the same time, we will continue to focus on developing customer relationships, continuously improving our execution to enhance the customer experience and bring growth and returns to our shareholders... As new business models that require universal, high-performance connectivity continue to emerge, we're ready to deliver. ”
AT&T's ambition is to rise to the challenge of competitors like Verizon to become "America's Best Broadband Provider." To achieve this, AT&T said, the company will build a first-class fiber-based network that owns and operates both fiber and wireless networks, and its so-called "owner economy" brand will provide better flexibility to provide higher quality broadband to businesses and consumers in more places.
Looking ahead, AT&T plans to double its fiber network coverage to more than 30 million location locations, a growth figure based on customer locations in the second quarter of 2021. This includes tripling the location of its corporate customer premises to 5 million. By doing so, the company expects to add 3.5 million to 4 million customer locations per year.
The company also hopes to enhance its 5G network by deploying 120MHz of mid-band spectrum and covering more than 200 million U.S. people by the end of 2023. The mid-band spectrum will support faster speeds, greater capacity and lower latency, complementing the company's existing 5G coverage, which at&T's existing 5G network covers more than 255 million people in more than 16,000 towns.
AT&T also sees its ability to deliver symmetrical products and services to consumers and businesses, as well as its expansion into the under-penetrated SME customer segment, which provides opportunities. The company says these customers want reliability, speed and simplicity, and AT&T is confident of delivering all three: reliable fiber and 5G networks, the fastest fiber speeds in the U.S., and a streamlined experience with easy-to-understand pricing.
AT&T also develops software products on top of its network connections and works with partners to develop new services for the enterprise. These include edge services through partnerships with Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud; 5G private network services for enterprises, universities, or the public sector that seamlessly integrate with macro networks nationwide; and secure, reliable network connectivity products in today's hybrid online and offline work environments. (C114 Ace)