AT&T to spend $18b in capital improvements this year

March 12, 2009

AT&T plans to invest $17 billion to $18 billion in 2009 in capital spending, which the company said should exceed the planned investment of any other U.S. telecom company.

The announced spending program will enhance the company's wireless and wired broadband networks to provide more coverage, speed and capacity to consumers. The company said it plans to add nearly 3,000 jobs in 2009 to complete the work.

"Demand for broadband continues to grow as new applications emerge and customers embrace them, leading to data traffic on our network growing more than 50 percent year over year on average," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer.

Stephenson said he expects demand to escalate when the economy rebounds later this year. "We recognize the continuing importance of investing in critical network infrastructure, which plays a key role in driving commerce, innovation and job growth," he added.

AT&T's broadband investmentpriorities include multiple projects designed to enhance its 3G network for improved coverage, speed and reliability across the company's wireless footprint.

This includes plans to expand the 3G network to 20 new markets, adding more than 2,100 cell sites across the country and doubling the total 3G network capacity by using additional spectrum on the 850MHz band, the company said.

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