AT&T said Thursday that its 5G network is now available across the country. The company says its 5G is now available to more than 205 million consumers in 395 coverage markets in the United States.
Customers on their Unlimited Starter, Extra and Elite wireless plans and commercial customers on their Unlimited Web-Only, Starter, Performance and Elite plans will have access to 5G starting August 7 at no additional cost. Prepaid customers can purchase a 5G-enabled device on their Unlimited Plus plan.
“Our strategy of deploying 5G in sub-6 (5G) and mmWave (5G +) bands will provide the best combination of speeds, latency, and coverage needed to enable revolutionary new capabilities to fuel 5G experiences for consumers and businesses.” AT&T Vice President of Technology Operations Chris Sambar said in a statement.
Both AT&T and rival Verizon have faced challenges over previous 5G claims; Last year, the National Advertising Review Board recommended that AT&T stop using its “5G Evolution” brand for its 4G networks because the claims could mislead customers into thinking that they were actually receiving 5G. AT&T agreed to stop using the brand for advertising and marketing campaigns, but said it would not remove the “5G E” logo from smartphones. And just last week, the National Advertising Division recommended that Verizon stop making claims about its 5G coverage and speed, which it said was misleading about where 5G would be widely available.
AT&T reported its second quarter earnings on Thursday, with earnings per share of $ 0.83 in revenue of $ 41 billion. It had 171.4 million wireless subscribers, an increase from the 158.6 million customers it reported in the prior-year quarter.
The coronavirus pandemic affected all AT&T business segments in the second quarter, the company reported. Operating income at WarnerMedia decreased nearly 23 percent to $ 6.8 billion. Revenue from its Warner Bros. division fell 3.9 percent to $ 3.3 billion due in part to “the absence of lower theatrical and game premieres and other revenue.”
Its HBO Max segment, which launched in May, already has 4 million customers, and AT&T CEO John Stankey said HBO and HBO Max added a combined total of 36.3 million subscribers at the end of last month, an increase 5 percent from the end of 2019.
