AT&T Wins Approval to Shut Legacy Services at 30% of Wire Centers as Stock Rises 4.8%
Updated
Updated · Trefis · Aug 12
AT&T Wins Approval to Shut Legacy Services at 30% of Wire Centers as Stock Rises 4.8%
1 articles · Updated · Trefis · Aug 12
Summary
AT&T said regulators approved discontinuing legacy services in more than 30% of its wire centers by late 2026, a step that helps strip out copper-network costs already scheduled for removal.
A couple hundred wire centers are expected to have zero customers by the end of 2026, reinforcing management’s push to shift the business toward fiber, fixed wireless and postpaid bundles.
AT&T shares climbed 4.8% over the past five trading days even as the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, with five-year correlation to the index at just 0.18.
That independence has come with trade-offs: AT&T returned 9.0% annualized over five years with 24.6% volatility, versus the S&P 500’s 13.1% return and 17.2% volatility.
Operating momentum still rests on subscriber growth—Advanced Connectivity revenue rose 5.1% and EBITDA 8% in Q2 2026—while fiber ARPU fell 1.3% as convergence and acquired Lumen customers pressured pricing.