First phone call was 150 years ago today and AT&T celebrates with $250B promise to improve service
AT&T is looking to improve not only its networks, but also the service that its customers experience.
AT&T to spend big bucks to improve its services. | Image by PhoneArena
Something happened 150 years ago today that changed the world. On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell called his assistant Thomas Watson and said, "Mr. Watson – Come here – I want to see you." Had this moment not occurred, I might be writing for ToasterArena. If you ever wondered how the Bell System got that moniker, it obviously was from Mr. Bell's last name.
AT&T will spend $250 billion over five years to improve its service and more
AT&T, looking to celebrate the anniversary, has announced that it will spend $250 billion over the next five years to improve its networks. The company says, "We are investing at the top of our industry to deliver unmatched coverage for more than 100 million customers on the nation’s largest fiber and wireless networks." Some of this money will be spent to provide reliable, always-on connectivity for Americans living in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the country.
AT&T is celebrating 150 years of connecting people. | Image by AT&T
AT&T Chairman and CEO John Stankey said that the $250 billion investment will expand access to AT&T's fiber and wireless networks which he called the best way to connect to the internet. The single copper wire used in that first call 150 years ago has evolved into fiber and wireless networks. Since the first call, which The telecommunications firm seeks to accelerate the deployment of fiber, 5G Home Internet, wireless and satellite connectivity throughout the United States.
"With this commitment, AT&T will keep building the network Americans rely on, whether delivered by fiber, wireless, or satellite, so more people and businesses have access to fast, reliable connectivity. It’s the foundation for what’s next, from remote care, to autonomous vehicles to AI, and it will help keep America connected for the next 150 years."
-AT&T statement
The telecom giant will also work with AST SpaceMobile to extend its satellite coverage into remote areas of the country. The company also wants to improve the infrastructure used by the FirstNet network built with and for first responders. But the goal is to continue working on the United States' technological leadership.
The carrier has a list of areas it wants to focus on
Making sure that the firm is delivering great service to its U.S. subscribers are the 110,000 employees who work for AT&T in the country. It is the largest unionized workforce in the stateside telecom industry and the company will continue investing in its workforce. The company has a list of areas that it wants to focus on when it comes to its employees.
- AT&T wants to find and train skilled technicians that can build and maintain key telecom infrastructure.
- This year alone, AT&T wants to add thousands of engineers to its headcount rolls. Interestingly, only 5% of jobs at the company require the applicant to have a 4-year degree.
- Part of this training will be related to AI fluency, which is obviously important and helps to keep employees up-to-date.
- The telecom firm says that it wants to support American families by giving them competitive wages, financial security, and benefits.
Part of AT&T's huge five-year investment will be used to improve network security and threats driven by AI. AT&T will also open up its network to allow new firms to supply telecom equipment. AT&T also wants America to remain global leaders in innovation and technology.
AT&T is too bland compared to T-Mobile and Verizon
Unlike T-Mobile and Verizon, there isn't much you can say about AT&T and that can be detrimental to the carrier's plans to attract more subscribers from the other two. T-Mobile is known for its industry leading 5G wireless speeds. Verizon might be known for being reliable (forgetting that day-long outage in January, of course). All you might say about AT&T is that its lineage goes back 150 years to the very first phone call. That doesn't exactly give out the sort of modern-technology vibes that AT&T would like to put out there.
If AT&T invests its $250 billion in the right places, the results will not only be positive for the company, but also for its employees, customers, and stockholders. But it also needs an identity to take on its rivals. Is it a lack of advertising prowess? Right now AT&T is just bland. If I were John Stankey, I'd develop a strong advertising campaign with a great rewards program. AT&T needs to give U.S. wireless users a reason to subscribe to the carrier.
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