Telecommunications company AT&T has announced plans to eliminate traditional copper wire-based landline phone service across all of its service areas in the United States over the next five years.
The statement was made as part of a presentation to investors. AT&T said it will retire the old copper infrastructure while at the same time expanding its much faster fiber networks. By 2029, AT&T expects to reach about 50 million total locations with its fiber service.
“The Company believes sustaining industry-leading levels of network investment and pursuing these strategic objectives will ultimately allow it to offer the best value, greater personalization and security and more customer-centric products and services on the largest, highest-capacity, lowest-marginal cost network in America,” it said in a statement.
The end of service affects both residential and commercial customers. AT&T provides traditional landline service in 21 states. One state not facing the end of landlines is California, where AT&T is required to provide it by law. That’s because California has a lot of rural residents who often struggle to get decent satellite coverage or high-speed fiber. In June, the California Public Utilities Commission rejected AT&T’s request to end landline service in the state, despite the carrier saying it was too costly to maintain.
The company said no customers will lose voice or 911 service as it works through the transition.
Legacy copper services are no longer meeting customer needs for speed, reliability and always on-connectivity, according to AT&T. “The Copper network is incredibly inefficient,” said a company spokesperson in an email. It’s an energy hog, because every line and every element is powered all the time.
“We are seeing declining reliability with storms and increased copper theft. Copper simply does not do well with water and flooding,” the spokesperson added.
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