AT&T is planning to discontinue its landline services in most of its service areas in the U.S. over the next couple of years, including in Michigan.
When will AT&T landline services end?
The company announced in a statement that it would eliminate the copper network operations that are used to support traditional landline services by the end of 2029.
“While building the network of the future, the Company is actively working to exit its legacy copper network operations across the large majority of its wireline footprint by the end of 2029,” the company said.
During this same period, the company said it expects to reach more than 50 million locations with fiber.
“Over the last four years, we’ve achieved durable and profitable subscriber growth, generated attractive returns on network investment, and strengthened our balance sheet,” said John Stankey, AT&T CEO. “We’re putting customers first to become the best connectivity provider in America. Our plan expands the country’s largest fiber network to more than 50 million total locations, modernizes our wireless network and rewards our shareholders. As we grow, we expect to return more than $40 billion to shareholders over the next three years through dividends and share repurchases. With this bold strategy, we are entering a new era of sustained growth at AT&T.”
Why is AT&T ending its landline services?
During the AT&T 2024 Analyst and Investor Day presentation, EVP Susan Johnson said that the copper services are not meeting customers' needs for speed, reliability and connectivity.
Only 5% of active residential users are using copper technology, and it is costly to maintain, according to Johnson.
“The copper network is very inefficient,” said Johnson. “We are seeing declining reliability with storms and increased copper theft. Copper simply does not do well with water and flooding, and repairs are very labor-intensive. And unlike fiber, copper is an energy hog.”
How will this impact Michigan, other states?
The company is planning to end its copper services in most of its service areas, which currently include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, according to its website.
The change will not impact services in California, where a law requires AT&T to provide landline services.
What are other options for landline customers?
As the company works to transition landline users, Johnson said that no customer will lose access to voice or 911 services.
AT&T Phone-Advanced will serve the majority of the company’s copper-based customers, but there will be some areas where customers will need to be moved to other technologies.
This is a service that allows customers to use existing phones to connect to the wireless network, or connect to any broadband as another option.
If the device receives a cellular signal, it will use broadband by default and then switch to cellular if the broadband is down.
The AT&T Phone-Advanced service can also provide lines for fax, alarm, medical monitoring and other analog data services.
