Prime Highlights
- Package includes 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum for coverage and speed.
- Deal also adds about 20 MHz of nationwide 600 MHz low-band spectrum for better building penetration.
Key Facts
- AT&T finishes its $23 billion purchase of wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar.
- Deal brings AT&T roughly 50 MHz of low-band and mid-band spectrum nationwide.
Background
EchoStar’s spectrum licenses now belong fully to AT&T, following the close of a $23 billion deal built on terms the two companies settled in August 2025. Combined, AT&T’s low-band and mid-band spectrum now totals close to 50 MHz, with coverage stretching across nearly every US market.
Included in the deal is 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum. This band pairs decent coverage distance with quick data speeds. There’s also about 20 MHz of nationwide 600 MHz low-band spectrum in the mix, a frequency that covers more ground and gets through walls better than most.
Put the two together, and AT&T gains a wider spread of frequencies to draw on, whether serving dense cities, quieter suburbs or rural stretches. Customers across these areas stand to see the benefit in day-to-day network performance.
This purchase lines up with AT&T’s broader push to get its network ready for more mobile data traffic, quicker connections and heavier usage overall. It builds directly on spectrum the carrier already owned, keeping it in the conversation as one of the bigger names in US wireless and setting up room to grow down the line.
Now that the deal has closed, these spectrum licenses sit fully under AT&T’s control. Getting from announcement to completion took close to a year. The purchase also fits a pattern seen across the industry, where major carriers keep spending on spectrum to stay ahead of what their networks will need next.