AT&T's copper shutdown project takes 'wireless-first' approach

AT&T is moving ahead with plans to shut down parts of its aging copper network, and it’s leaning on wireless to bridge the gap.

With fresh approvals from the FCC, the company says it will first shift some customers off copper onto fixed wireless services, instead of waiting for fiber builds to reach those areas. Susan Johnson, who oversees network operations at AT&T, says this “wireless-first” step is meant to handle near-term customer migrations, with fiber still planned as a longer-term replacement where it makes financial and technical sense.

The approach lets AT&T retire costly copper plant faster, but it also means some customers will see a wireless stopgap before any fiber upgrade arrives, and in some markets, wireless may be the only replacement for copper lines.