AT&T is teamed up with satellite firm AST SpaceMobile
AT&T is teamed up with AST SpaceMobile thanks to an agreement that runs through 2030. Under the terms of the deal, space-based cellular broadband is made available to regular smartphones as a way to eliminate cellular dead zones, something which is important to the FirstNet public safety network.
AT&T CFO Pascal Desroches spoke at the Mizuho Technology Conference on Tuesday. | Image by AT&T
AT&T CEO John Stankey says the carrier will team up with multiple satellite firms to cover gaps
AT&T CEO John Stankey has said that the carrier plans to team up with different satellite players to help it cover some of the coverage gaps found in rural areas. By having multiple satellite companies providing service in dead zones, AT&T customers can drive into rural areas and still have seamless service.
Right now, we’re focused on what we have in front of us. We have a lot of work to do to continue to execute and monetize the assets recently acquired, and plenty of room to run an organic footprint
Pascal Desroches, AT&T CFO
By combining their resources, the trio can pool together spectrum and share the costs of building out the needed infrastructure to offer direct-to-device (D2D) service. As AT&T‘s Desroches has pointed out, by putting their spectrum together, the three joint venture partners can better serve the D2D market than they could individually.
AT&T believes it is in the best position of the Big 3 when it comes to convergence
AT&T‘s CFO also made it clear that his company is in the best position of the three when it comes to convergence. The latter is the ability to sell mobile cellular service bundled with home broadband internet through a single provider with one bill.
Desroches says that the company’s focus is on providing service in both urban and suburban areas at prices that can be considered attractive.
When AT&T plans to release its second quarter earnings
With second quarter earnings expected to be released before the stock market opens at 9:30 AM EDT on July 22, AT&T expects to report year-over-year growth in wireless service and Wall Street forecasts that the carrier will announce 250,000 to 300,000 net new postpaid phone subscribers. That would be a decline from the 301,000 reported during last year’s Q2, and sequentially it could be higher or lower than the 287,000 net new postpaid phone subscribers that AT&T reported for this year’s first quarter.
Since the start of the year, AT&T has seen its stock price decline by 5.5% or $1.35 to $23.21. The 52-week high is $29.79 and the 52-week low is $22.32.
