AT&T completes $23B EchoStar spectrum buy

AT&T talked-up an expected boost in 5G capacity across the US from a freshly completed $23 billion acquisition of spectrum assets from EchoStar, highlighting an enhanced ability to meet emerging AI use cases.

Closing the deal struck in August 2025 and approved by the US Federal Communications Commission in May adds around 50MHz of spectrum covering almost every region in the US.

The purchase comprises 30MHz of nationwide spectrum in the 3.45GHz band and around 20MHz in the 600MHz band.

In a short statement announcing completion of the deal yesterday (28 July), AT&T explained it would boost capacity and download rates, while helping to “deliver an AI-ready connected experience”, with plans to engineer the spectrum to enhance the uplink.

When it announced the deal, AT&T noted the “next generation of connectivity” would “require networks with even greater capacity as data demand grows”, explaining the deal would position it “at the forefront of enabling emerging AI and IoT use cases” including native devices “autonomous vehicles and advanced robotics”.