AT&T said it’s adding more C-band spectrum – radio airwaves critical to ferrying data from your phone to nearby cell towers – to its 5G network to boost the speed and capacity of its wireless and 5G Home Internet service.
The company has been deploying spectrum in the C-band and 3.45 GHz frequencies, which are known as mid-band spectrum because they have a good mix of high capacity and wide range. Its mid-band network now covers 175 million people. The company also offers what’s known as its low-band spectrum, which isn’t as fast but can reach even more areas, which covers an additional 290 million.
AT&T’s utilization of the C-band spectrum comes days after Verizon announced a similar move to upgrade its network as the carriers race to put the newly acquired radio airwaves to work to upgrade their networks. Verizon said it is four months ahead of schedule for deployment. While it didn’t participate in the 3.45 GHz auction like AT&T, the telecom company did spend $52 billion at the FCC’s C-band spectrum auction, focusing its use towards more rural areas.
By doubling its C-band spectrum, AT&T has an average of 120 MHz of bandwidth throughout every city in the U.S. AT&T said markets such as Denver and Atlanta will see significant performance improvements in upcoming months.
“Because our deployed cell site equipment, such as radios, are capable of handling the full bandwidth spectrum load, once a software update is completed, customers will immediately experience a dramatic increase in bandwidth,” said AT&T.
The Federal Communications Commission parceled out valuable C-band spectrum licenses during a 2021 auction, fueling a lot of the recent upgrades. AT&T was the second-highest bidder at an FCC auction in 2021. The company spent $27 billion for 1,621 licenses. At the FCC’s 3.45 GHz auction, AT&T spent $9.1 billion for 1,624 licenses.
The FCC’s C-Band Transition Order requires spectrum licenses to clear by December 5. It is offering billion-dollar incentives for providers who complete this early. Satellite companies finished doing so months ahead of this deadline, granting AT&T and Verizon early access to their full C-band spectrum holdings.
Cities with AT&T’s C-band and mid-band access include:
- Albany NY
- Austin TX
- Birmingham AL
- Boston MA
- Brownsville TX
- Charlotte NC
- Chicago IL
- Cincinnati OH
- Cleveland OH
- Columbus OH
- Dallas TX
- Detroit MI
- Fresno CA
- Greenville SC
- Harrisburg PA
- Houston TX
- Indianapolis IN
- Jacksonville FL
- Kansas City MO
- Las Vegas NV
- Little Rock AR
- Los Angeles CA
- Miami FL
- Milwaukee WI
- Minneapolis-St. Paul MN
- Nashville TN
- New Orleans LA
- New York NY
- Oklahoma City OK
- Orlando FL
- Philadelphia PA
- Phoenix AZ
- Pittsburgh PA
- Portland OR
- Raleigh NC
- Rochester NY
- Sacramento CA
- Saint Louis MO
- Salt Lake City UT
- San Antonio TX
- San Diego CA
- San Francisco CA
- Seattle WA
- Syracuse NY
- Tampa FL
- Virginia Beach VA
- Atlanta GA
- Baltimore MD-Washington DC
- Memphis TN
- Denver CO
- Baton Rouge LA
- Louisville KY
- Huntsville AL
- Charleston SC
- Mobile AL
- Columbia SC
- Knoxville TN
- Buffalo NY
- Augusta GA
- Lafayette LA
- Tulsa OK
- Pensacola FL
- Chattanooga TN
- Biloxi MS
- El Paso TX
- Savannah GA
- Lubbock TX
- Jackson MS