AT&T activated mid-band spectrum acquired from EchoStar and integrated it across nearly 23,000 cell sites in only a few weeks, lifting 5G download speeds by up to 80% in more than 5,300 cities across 48 states. The rapid deployment marks one of AT&T’s fastest large-scale spectrum integrations and supports its broader strategy to grow converged wireless-and-home-internet subscribers.
The 3.45 GHz mid-band layer now strengthens AT&T’s low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum mix, improving mobility performance and expanding the footprint for AT&T Internet Air, the company’s fixed wireless access (FWA) product. Customers using upgraded spectrum bands are already seeing higher throughput, including 55% faster download speeds for Internet Air in supported markets.
AT&T said the EchoStar spectrum reduces the need for costly densification projects by adding mid-band capacity where existing sites can support additional traffic. The integration also enhances performance for FirstNet users, who receive priority and preemption across all AT&T bands, including the newly added mid-band spectrum.
• AT&T deployed EchoStar’s 3.45 GHz spectrum to 23,000+ cell sites in weeks
• Users in 5,300+ cities may see up to 80% faster mobile downloads
• AT&T Internet Air customers may see speed gains of up to 55%
• Expanded mid-band supports both mobility and FWA subscriber growth
• Integration reduces need for new cell site builds to add capacity
• Strengthens AT&T’s multi-band spectrum portfolio for AI-driven devices and enterprise edge workloads
• Enhances FirstNet’s 5G coverage and priority access across all AT&T bands
“We’ve put EchoStar spectrum to work on our network and customers are already feeling the difference,” said Jeff McElfresh, chief operating officer, AT&T. “This gives us the runway to expand availability of AT&T Internet Air for consumers and businesses and add even more download speed to our 5G service.”
🌐 Analysis
The EchoStar–AT&T deal centers on AT&T’s acquisition and rapid activation of 3.45 GHz spectrum, filling a mid-band gap that strengthens nationwide 5G performance and supports AT&T’s strategy to scale fixed wireless while continuing its fiber build in parallel. Mid-band capacity unlocks immediate gains in spectral efficiency and user throughput while avoiding major capex tied to new tower builds. The move fits a broader industry trend: operators are aggressively integrating mid-band spectrum to meet traffic growth from AI-enabled devices, AR/VR services, and bandwidth-intensive enterprise mobility. The transaction also highlights the value of 3.45 GHz licenses following the dissolution of DISH–EchoStar aggregation plans, giving AT&T another lever to compete against T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz holdings and Verizon’s C-band deployment footprint.
AT&T paid approximately $3.3 billion to acquire the 3.45 GHz mid-band licenses from EchoStar (previously held and assembled by DISH/EchoStar).
This transaction closed in June 2024, giving AT&T around 40 MHz of mid-band spectrum nationwide.
Estimated Cost per POP
The U.S. population covered by the licenses is roughly 330 million POPs.
Cost per POP ≈ $3.3B / 330M ≈ $10 per POP
What “Cost per POP” Means
“Cost per POP” is a standard metric used in spectrum deals to compare the value of a spectrum acquisition across markets.
- POP stands for “population” — essentially the number of people covered by the licenses.
- Cost per POP = Total spectrum purchase price ÷ population covered
- It normalizes prices across different spectrum bands, geographies, and transaction sizes.
However, the industry most frequently uses $ / MHz-POP, which adds a second dimension — the size (in MHz) of the spectrum involved. If we apply that:
$ / MHz-POP ≈ $3.3B ÷ (40 MHz × 330M POPs)
= ~$0.25 / MHz-POP
That is significantly lower than the ~$0.70–$0.94 / MHz-POP operators paid for C-band in the 2021 auctions, primarily because the EchoStar transaction avoided clearing costs and competitive bidding.
