AT&T lights up EchoStar’s 3.45 GHz spectrum in record time

AT&T CEO John Stankey wasn’t kidding when he said AT&T would use the 3.45 GHz spectrum from EchoStar to cover nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population by mid-November. The operator announced it rolled out the 3.45 GHz spectrum to nearly 23,000 cell sites in a matter of a few weeks—a record-fast deployment for AT&T. The announcement comes before the exchange of spectrum from EchoStar to AT&T has been officially approved by regulators. Thanks to a short-term spectrum management lease, AT&T is able to deploy this spectrum well before that deal is expected to close in 2026. AT&T and Dish Network, now a subsidiary of EchoStar, were the top two bidders in the 3.45 GHz auction in 2021. But EchoStar never deployed its 3.45 GHz spectrum, likely easing the transition for AT&T.