Page 32 - SAMENA Trends - July-September 2024

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

AT&T to Expand Gigapower Fiber JV Footprint

AT&T revealed plans to expand the reach of its fibre joint venture
with private equity firm BlackRock Alternatives beyond the initial
1.5 million locations announced in late 2022, as well as unveiling
four new agreements with commercial open access providers. The
operator stated the Gigapower expansion could include growth in
its existing geographies as well as new locations. AT&T executives
initially pitched the JV as a way to compete outside of its tradi-
tional 21-state footprint. While rivals Verizon and T-Mobile US have
both recently announced deals to expand their fiber holdings, AT&T
claims to be the largest provider in the US based on the number
of fiber-to-the-home households. The company serves more than
8.8 million AT&T Fiber customers and passes more than 28 million
total consumer and business locations. AT&T CEO John Stankey is
a big proponent of converged mobile and fiber-based services. To
reach more locations with AT&T Fiber in geographies not served by
its network or Gigapower, the operator announced four new agree-
ments with commercial open-access providers: Boldyn Networks, those agreements allow it to offer fiber and 5G services to more
Digital Infrastructure Group, PRIME FiBER and Ubiquity. It stated customers in service areas that do not have existing fiber options.

AT&T Strikes 5G, Fiber Bundle Deal with Windstream’s Kinetic

AT&T has struck a deal with Kinetic, the broadband brand of for a reliable connectivity experience. Consumers are looking
Windstream Communications, to create a fiber + wireless service for powerful connections that come with profound savings, and
bundle across Kinetic’s 18-state, rural-focused footprint. Kinetic this collaboration aims to provide just that.” “This is another
serves customers in the central U.S. from Minnesota to Texas, monumental step to bring industry-leading quality and affordability
across the Southeast and in parts of the Mid-Atlantic, including to the communities Kinetic serves,” said Kinetic CMO Ben Midanek
Pennsylvania and the state of New York. The two companies in a statement. Customers who get both wireless service from AT&T
framed the deal as “innovative teaming” and emphasized cost- and home broadband from Kinetic (services are billed separately,
savings and closing the digital divide via their joint service offers, it was noted) will get $20 off of their monthly internet services, for
saying in a release: “There is increased demand for converged up to 24 months as long as they maintain both services; existing
connectivity offerings, not only for existing customers looking to Kinetic customers who switch to AT&T can also get a $200 rewards
save on connectivity, but also for new customers who are looking card, in addition to AT&T’s standard promotional offers. Kinetic
offers plans with speeds up to 2 Gbps. The two telecom partners
also focused on their joint offers as part of work to close the rural/
urban digital divide and bring rural customers new service options.
AT&T pointed out its $5 billion commitment that aims to support
25 million people getting and staying connected by 2030, through
both network infrastructure extensions, public-private partnerships,
discounts and digital literacy programs. Kinetic, meanwhile, has
laid out plans for a multi-year, $2 billion investment to upgrade its
infrastructure. “This is an evolution in strategic bundling focused
on customer service. By collaborating with Kinetic, we’ll be able
to put more smartphones in the hands of more Americans,” said
Erin Scarborough, SVP of consumer product for AT&T, adding:
“This collaboration advances our mission to connect people to
greater possibility including bringing connectivity to help bridge
the Digital Divide for millions across underserved and unserved
communities.”

32 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2024