AT&T Invests Nearly $1.8 Billion Over Three-Year Period to Connect Local Customers in North Carolina

AT&T Blog Team
June 9, 2021
Broadband Access and Affordability, Public Safety


AT&T Invests Nearly $1.8 Billion Over Three-Year Period to Connect Local Customers in North Carolina

AT&T is proud to connect customers across the country by continuing to grow the nation’s best network1. From 2018-2020, we expanded coverage and improved connectivity in more communities by investing nearly $1.8 billion in our wireless and wireline networks in North Carolina.

These investments include:

  • Nearly $375 million in the Charlotte region
  • Nearly $225 million in the Raleigh-Cary region
  • Nearly $150 million in the Durham-Chapel Hill region
  • Nearly $190 million in the Triad region

AT&T’s commitment to communities across the country continues and spans all layers of our network—from fiber to 5G to FirstNet®. These investments are essential to connecting our customers with their family, friends and colleagues by increasing the network’s speed, reliability, coverage and overall performance.

“Private investment in broadband expansion and digital equity is critical to help to ensure all North Carolinians can fully participate in today’s digital society,” said Jim Weaver, state chief information officer and secretary of the N.C. Department of Information Technology.

In 2021, we are increasing our fiber footprint by 3 million customer locations across more than 90 metro areas that we currently serve, including in North Carolina. We also recently announced that AT&T will invest $2 billion over the next 3 years to help address the digital divide nationwide. AT&T further improved critical communications for North Carolina’s first responders and improved public safety with FirstNet® – America’s public safety network.

“By continuing to improve our network at the state and local levels, we are helping businesses grow in North Carolina and helping to ensure that our customers and communities stay connected throughout the country.”

Trey Rabon – President, AT&T North Carolina

“From connecting family and loved ones to helping first responders during a crisis, AT&T is committed to investing in North Carolina to build state-of-the-art infrastructure that will keep people connected,” said AT&T North Carolina President Trey Rabon. “By continuing to improve our network at the state and local levels, we are helping businesses grow in North Carolina and helping to ensure that our customers and communities stay connected throughout the country.”

More details about our wireless coverage in North Carolina, and anywhere in the U.S., can be found on the AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

Expanding Access to Fiber

In order to meet the continual demands for reliable, high-speed connections in our increasingly virtual world, we are looking to the future and investing in solutions like fiber around the country.

AT&T Fiber® offers speeds of nearly 1 GIG2 for both upload and download, which provides plenty of bandwidth for consumers and businesses and creates a better internet experience for bandwidth- heavy applications like video conferencing, virtual learning, telehealth, and gaming that are growing in popularity and importance. It has also proven to be 99% reliable3 and offers consistently fast speeds, even during peak times.4

Is fiber available in my area? We currently offer AT&T Fiber in more than 90 metro areas across the U.S. AT&T Fiber is currently available in over 925K Eligible Fiber Eligible Living Units across 6 markets in North Carolina.

Bringing fast, reliable, secure AT&T 5G to more Americans

AT&T is also unlocking the power of 5G for consumers, businesses and first responders through both AT&T 5G and AT&T 5G+:

  • AT&T 5G, delivered over sub-6 spectrum sets us up to offer a better wireless experience with greater capacity to enable faster responses on capable devices. AT&T offers fast, reliable and highly secure 5G to 240 million people in 14,000 cities and towns nationwide including Anson County, Charlotte, Hickory, and Yancey.
  • AT&T 5G+ is our name for 5G delivered over a millimeter wave spectrum. Its super-fast speeds make it ideal for high-traffic areas and places like stadiums, arenas, school campuses, hospitals and will help unlock unprecedented experiences in iconic destinations and key venues. AT&T 5G+ is currently available in parts of 38 cities, including Raleigh and Charlotte, and more than 20 venues like Bank of America Stadium and the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

To check out the latest fiber pricing options head to att.com and to learn more about AT&T 5G, visit our AT&T 5G site.

FirstNet: Dedicated to America’s First Responders

We are committed to improving public safety infrastructure. As a part of that commitment, we have invested and built FirstNet in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – an independent agency within the federal government. FirstNet is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community.

  • Expanding to serve: FirstNet focuses on where first responders need connectivity. We’ve moved quickly to deliver more coverage, boost capacity and drive new capabilities for first responders. Using all AT&T LTE commercial spectrum as well as high-quality Band 14 spectrum, FirstNet covers 2.71 million square miles nationwide. And we’re actively extending the reach of FirstNet in North Carolina to give agencies large and small the reliable, unthrottled connectivity and modern communications tools they require.
  • First responder-centric 5G: FirstNet subscribers in parts of 38 cities and more than 20 venues now have access to AT&T 5G+. Our approach to 5G for public safety is unlike anything else. We’ve upgraded the dedicated FirstNet network core to enable 5G connectivity that is being built to intuitively optimize the experience for America’s first responders. First responders maintain voice communications with always-on priority and preemption on LTE, while the FirstNet network determines the best route for data traffic with compatible devices, whether that’s 5G+ or LTE spectrum.

The FirstNet network is providing North Carolina public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity when they need. These advanced capabilities enable FirstNet to help fire, EMS, and law enforcement personnel save lives and protect their communities.

FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.


1 GWS awarded AT&T Best Network OneScore 2020. GWS conducts drive tests for AT&T and uses the data in its OneScore analysis.
2 Speeds vary and not guaranteed. Internet speed claims represent maximum network service capabilities and based on wired connection to gateway. Actual customer speeds may vary based on a number of factors and are not guaranteed. Download speeds for Internet 1000 are typically up to 940Mbps due to overhead capacity reserved to deliver the data. For more information, go to www.att.com/speed101.
3 Based on network availability.
4 Based on wired connection to the gateway.

p.after-p sub span { line-height: 20px !important; }