What’s new: In California, we invested more than $14 billion in our network infrastructure from 2020-2024 to connect more people to greater possibility.
Cities and communities throughout California are seeing the impacts of this investment, including:
- More than $4.8 billion in the Greater Los Angeles Region (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties)
- More than $1.9 billion in the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)
- More than $1.0 billion in San Diego County (San Diego, Chula Vista, Oceanside)
- More than $1.2 billion in the Sacramento Valley region (Sacramento, Placer, Nevada, El Dorado, Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Yolo, Sutter, Yuba, Tehama and Shasta Counties)
- More than $1.1 billion in the Central Valley region (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Tulare, Fresno, Kings and Kern Counties)
- Nearly $340 million along the Central Coast (Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz Counties)
- Nearly $360 million in the Northern Coast region (Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin and Del Norte Counties)
Why it matters: Every American deserves access to fast, reliable connectivity when it matters most – whether it’s an important call to a family member or friend, the internet that powers work or online learning, or the connection that first responders rely on. It’s this connectivity that’s powering economic growth and supporting job creation across America.
Our mission: We’re investing across the country not only to boost network reliability and capacity, but also to expand broadband nationwide to help bridge the digital divide.
What they’re saying: “AT&T’s investments across California are making a real difference – bringing high-speed internet and critical communications infrastructure to communities that need it most,” said Ian Ogelsby, Mayor, City of Seaside. “This isn’t just about better service; it’s about creating pathways to opportunity for our residents.”
How we’re making it happen in California: Committed to expanding connectivity, our investment focuses on all facets of the network — including fiber, 5G and FirstNet,® Built with AT&T.
- Expanding Access to Fiber: To help meet the demands for reliable, high-speed connections today – and in the future – we’re investing in our fiber network.
- With more than 11 million strand miles of fiber in California, AT&T Fiber® is now available to more than 3.35 million customer locations in rural communities and urban areas.
- With nearly 91 million fiber strand miles in 21 states, AT&T Fiber® now passes nearly 29 million consumer and business locations.
- When public entities team up with trusted providers, more Americans are connected to greater opportunity. In California, we’ve collaborated with localities to bring AT&T Fiber to more corners of the state.
- In October, we announced that AT&T Fiber is now available to more than 10,000 new residential and business locations in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, and Alameda Counties. These new locations are in addition to the more than 950,000 customer locations across the four counties that already had access to AT&T Fiber.
- In December, San Diego County announced that it had selected AT&T to expand AT&T Fiber to more than 150 residential and business locations in unincorporated and some rural areas of the County as part of a $4.2 million public-private partnership.
- Other major network investments are featured here: Upgrading California’s Network for More Connectivity
- Building Networks for the Next Century: To reach our goal and better serve our customers with faster, more reliable services, we’re actively investing to modernize our networks that will power us for the next century, not the last one. We developed products like AT&T Phone-Advanced, a digital phone service that uses our reliable wireless network and any broadband connection, as a reliable alternative to plain old telephone service (POTS).
- In January, AT&T quickly extended the AT&T Phone-Advanced deployment to Southern California, to offer a solution for customers affected by the Los Angeles fires. Whether homes were intact and a cable was burned, or relocation was needed, customers were able to get AT&T Phone-Advanced as their landline phone service, regardless of copper or fiber. AT&T Phone-Advanced was slated to deploy in March 2025, so speeding up the process had a significant impact on customers affected by the fires.
- Today, AT&T Phone-Advanced is available in over 100 markets across 21 states, including California, and will continue to expand to other markets and states across the country.
- Unlocking the Power of 5G: From rural communities to urban areas, our overall wireless voice and data network covers more than 99% of all Americans, including California. Our 5G network using low-band spectrum reaches more than 310 million people in more than 26,100 cities and towns in the U.S.
- We’re working with businesses from manufacturing to healthcare to create new innovations and increase efficiencies with AT&T 5G.
- We’re ramping up performance in high traffic areas, like airports, stadiums and venues, including Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Chase Center and Oracle Park in San Francisco, SAP Center in San Jose, SoFi Stadium, LA Convention Center, Dodger Stadium and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, and Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
- For less densely populated areas like Albion, Castroville, Fort Bragg, Greenfield, Gualala, Lytton, Monterey, Pajaro, Salinas and Willits we’re expanding our 5G network so people there can have access to reliable connectivity.
- And we’re also working with AST SpaceMobile to one day offer voice, data, text and video services in remote, off-grid locations.
- We also launched AT&T Internet Air, our fixed wireless home internet service delivered over our 5G network, an all-in-one device that powers strong Wi-Fi coverage in your home.
- Unprecedented Connectivity for First Responders: As public safety’s partner, we are bringing better connectivity to public safety when — and where — they need it. Now with more than 2.99M square miles of coverage, FirstNet has the largest network footprint in the country, covering more first responders than competing commercial networks, and we are only continuing to grow. As part of our 10-year, $8B+ investment initiative with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) to transform public safety’s communications, we’ve completed the buildout of 1,000 new FirstNet sites across the country – well ahead of schedule and almost twice as fast as we pledged – providing first responders with dedicated connectivity on public safety’s Band 14 spectrum. And we’re continuing to expand FirstNet with purpose-built FirstNet sites — based on public safety’s direct feedback and network considerations — focused on rural, tribal and remote areas of the country.
- In California, we’re connecting public safety agencies and organizations in more than 1,300 localities across the state, including Arcata, Big Sur, Eureka, Ferndale, Gilroy, Healdsburg, Salinas, San Jose, Sonora, Truckee, Watsonville and Willits.
- We’ve rolled out Band 14 on more than 6,150 sites across California to provide public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity.
And we’re not just investing in our network, we’re also investing in our communities. AT&T announced last year it’s committing an additional $3 billion by 2030 to help close the digital divide, bringing the company’s total commitment to $5 billion since 2021.
- To help bridge the divide in California, AT&T has provided more than 26,000 free devices and laptops to students, older adults and families in need since 2021. We’ve teamed up with community-based organizations across the state to identify those individuals who need connectivity to pursue education, access to telehealth services, employment opportunities, and access to vital services.
- In 2025, we’ll be extending our reach to communities across California by donating more than 4,500 free laptops to students and families who need them most.
- We’re also opening seven additional Connected Learning Centers (CLC) to provide essential digital resources in California communities. AT&T supports CLC partners with a $50,000 contribution and free internet connectivity. Currently in California, 10 CLCs, including three on Tribal land, are serving young people, their families and older adults with access to high-speed internet, computers and digital literacy resources. Read more.
Good news is always great to share. Here are a few highlights from the last year in California:
- September 2024 | At AT&T, we are committed to bringing more digital resources to California’s local communities. This includes creating new AT&T Connected Learning Centers across the state. In collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento, and Boys & Girls Club of Kumeyaay Nation Wellness, we launched three new Connected Learning Centers, for a total of 10 in California. Learn more.
- November 2024 | Access to reliable internet and technology is essential to thrive in our modern world – opening opportunities for education and future careers. In California, we’re working with Tribal Nations to bridge the digital divide and empower Tribal students and families with essential tools. Native Americans are integral to our nation’s fabric. With over 109 federally recognized tribes1 and 630,000 American Indian and Alaska Native residents2, California holds one of the largest Native American populations in the U.S. We opened our 10th CLC in California and the 3rd on Tribal land and distributed 1,600 laptops to Tribal families across the state in 2024. Learn more.
- January 2025 | During the Los Angeles wildfires, AT&T swiftly mobilized its extensive disaster response capabilities to help ensure continuous and reliable connectivity for impacted communities and public safety. By prioritizing the emergency communications needs of first responders through FirstNet®, Built with AT&T, we were able to support critical operations across the impacted areas. As communities affected by the Los Angeles wildfires continue the recovery process, we are fully committed to supporting response and restoration efforts. Learn more.
- January 2025 | All Californians deserve reliable, fast and affordable communications options – no matter who you are, where you live, or why you need to be connected. But outdated laws result in massive investments in aging technology that consumers are increasingly abandoning because they do not meet their needs. We must prepare California for the future and modernize state law to invest in innovative, reliable, fast and affordable communications technologies for all and make sure no customers are left behind in the transition. Learn more.
To keep up with all the latest updates from AT&T California, follow us on X @ATTPublicPolicy and on LinkedIn.
1 https://www.courts.ca.gov/3066.htm
*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.
*About AT&T
We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.
