Investing in Connection and Community Across Mississippi

Michael Walker, AT&T Mississippi Vice President
May 16, 2024
Community Impact


Investing in Connection and Community Across Mississippi

Investing in our Communities

In Mississippi, we invested more than $1.3 billion in our network infrastructure from 2019-2023 to connect more people to greater possibility.

Cities and communities throughout Mississippi are seeing the impacts of this investment, including:

  • More than $200 million in Gulfport-Biloxi
  • More than $300 million in Jackson

We understand how a connection can make the difference. That’s why our mission is to bring connectivity to everyone, no matter where they live or where they come from. We’re working to not only boost network reliability and capacity but also expand broadband nationwide to help bridge the digital divide.

“Investing in digital infrastructure is not just about technology, it’s about preparing our state for the future,” said Scott Waller, President & CEO, Mississippi Economic Council. “These private investments are laying the foundation for generations to come, creating new opportunities for growth and development across Mississippi.”

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 nearly 2.6 million miles of fiber in Mississippi, AT&T Fiber®is now available to more than 300,000 customer locations in nearly 60 cities across the state.
    • With nearly 87 million fiber strand miles in 21 states, AT&T Fiber® now passes 26M+ locations in more than 100 metros.
    • AT&T Fiber provides speed, reliability and value for consumers and businesses to enhance their internet experience for applications like video conferencing, virtual learning, telehealth, gaming and more.
  • 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 Mississippi. Our 5G network today reaches more than 295 million people in more than 24,500 cities and towns across the U.S. with our mid-band spectrum available nationwide, covering more than 210 million people.
    • 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 cities like Jackson.
    • For less densely populated areas we’re expanding our 5G network so people there can have access to reliable connectivity.
  • Giving First Responders the Reliable Connectivity they Need: As America’s public safety communication partner, we are expanding and enhancing FirstNet to give the public safety community better access to their network. Setting the stage for first responder innovation over the next 10 years, the FirstNet Authority announced a series of strategic investments totaling more than $8 billion into FirstNet. The latest network investment of $6.3 billion will enable AT&T to deliver a standalone FirstNet 5G core, provide always-on priority and preemption across all AT&T 5G commercial spectrum bands and build 1,000 new FirstNet sites across the country over the next two years.
    • In Mississippi, we’re connecting public safety agencies and organizations in more than 130 cities across the state.
    • We’ve rolled out Band 14 on more than 1,000 sites across Mississippi to provide public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity when they need it.

And, we’re not just investing in our network, we’re also investing in our communities. AT&T recently announced 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 DeSoto County, AT&T teamed up with Human-I-T to provide 100 free laptops for families and students served by the Dream Center. Read more.

To keep up with all the latest updates from AT&T Mississippi, follow us on Twitter @ATTPublicPolicy and@ATTPolicyMS, and on LinkedIn.

 

*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.

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