AT&T and Corning Incorporated have entered into a multiyear agreement valued at more than $3 billion under which Corning will supply fiber and cable for AT&T’s network expansion. The companies say the agreement will support AT&T’s efforts to increase fiber availability and meet rising demand for high-capacity connectivity driven by streaming, cloud services, gaming, video communications, and AI.

AT&T says the agreement supports its goal of bringing fast, reliable internet access to 60 million Americans by the end of 2030. Corning’s fiber and cable solutions are expected to help AT&T accelerate network deployment and improve installation efficiency as it expands its fiber footprint.

Rising Data Demand Drives Network Investment

The companies point to continued growth in household data consumption as a key factor behind the investment. According to AT&T, the average AT&T Fiber household now uses more than 1 terabyte of data per month, approximately five times the level recorded in 2016.

AT&T expects monthly household usage to reach between 2 and 2.5 terabytes by 2030 as consumers and businesses increasingly rely on video streaming, gaming, video calls, cloud applications, AI tools, live camera feeds, and other data-intensive services.

Fiber’s combination of speed, reliability, and capacity makes it a central component of AT&T’s strategy for addressing that growth. The company says fiber provides the high-capacity foundation for connecting homes, businesses, and communities, while wireless and satellite technologies extend connectivity beyond fixed locations and into remote or difficult-to-reach areas.

Continuing a Longstanding Supplier Relationship

"Fiber remains the gold standard for superior internet connectivity, and AT&T is the nation's leader in fiber," said John Stankey, Chairman and CEO of AT&T. "Fiber's speed, reliability and capacity remain unmatched for any home or business. We deeply value our long and successful relationship with Corning and look forward to continuing our work together as we expand the nation's largest fiber network and make the long-term investments needed to keep America connected."

The agreement builds on a longstanding relationship between the two companies as AT&T continues investing in its fiber infrastructure.

Focus on U.S. Manufacturing and Supply Chains

The agreement also links the companies’ investments in U.S. infrastructure and manufacturing.

AT&T said that, marking the 150th anniversary of the first telephone call, it committed more than $250 billion over five years to strengthening U.S. connectivity infrastructure. Corning, meanwhile, is continuing to expand its U.S. fiber and cable manufacturing operations, including facilities in North Carolina that the company says have created hundreds of jobs.

"Corning and AT&T have worked side by side for generations to connect people across this country, and this agreement is the next chapter in that partnership," said Wendell Weeks, Chairman, CEO, and President of Corning. "By pairing our large, U.S.-based advanced manufacturing with AT&T's network leadership, we can keep co-innovating to build the dense fiber networks that will drive the future of connectivity—while sustaining thousands of highly skilled American jobs and strengthening domestic supply chains."

Under the arrangement, Corning’s U.S. workforce will manufacture fiber, while AT&T technicians will deploy and maintain the networks serving homes, businesses, and communities. AT&T describes its technician workforce as the industry’s largest union-represented workforce.

The companies say the combined investment will support domestic manufacturing and network deployment while strengthening the U.S. fiber supply chain.

The agreement represents another significant investment in fiber infrastructure as network operators prepare for continued growth in data consumption and the expanding connectivity requirements associated with AI and other emerging applications.

Source: AT&T

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