(Finance) – The US telecommunications giant AT&Tin anticipation of closing the pending WarnerMedia transaction with Discoveryhe presented new operational and financial strategies detailed until 2023. The company plans to double its presence in fiber to over 30 million locations (i.e. homes and businesses), including doubling corporate customer locations to 5 million. In doing so, AT&T expects to add 3.5 million to 4 million customer locations each year. As more network traffic moves to fiber and 5G, AT&T expects to see significant savings reducing the company’s legacy copper footprint. By 2025, AT&T expects that 75% of its network footprint will be served via fiber and 5G and that it will have reduced its copper service footprint by 50%.
“As the conclusion of the WarnerMedia agreement approaches, we are near the starting line of a new era for AT&T,” he said. John Stankey, CEO of AT&T – The transformation we have undergone over the past 18 months, delivering outstanding operating results, has brought us to this point. We will be a simpler and more targeted company with the intent of becoming the America’s best broadband provider. We plan to increase investment in our key growth areas: 5G and fiber. “
The US giant plans to use the cash flow of the more mature business to help feed its own $ 24 billion in annual investment planned in 2022 and 2023, with incremental cost savings that have benefits on the bottom line. AT&T will increase investments to deploy fiber and 5G and promote sustainable earnings growth. In 2022, AT&T expects capital investments in the order of 24 billion dollars. The company expects capital investment in 2023 to be similar to 2022 levels and then begin to shrink to the $ 20 billion range starting in 2024.