The move comes as the US telecoms provider expands its broadband infrastructure to meet growing demand for data – largely driven by AI.
Announced on 29 September, the deal will see Corning provide the fibre and cable required for AT&T’s ongoing network expansion plans, supporting the operator’s goal of extending high-speed connectivity to 60 million Americans by the end of 2030.
The agreement comes as internet usage continues to rise across households and businesses. According to AT&T, the average customer on its fibre network now consumes more than one terabyte of data per month, approximately five times more than in 2016.
The company expects that figure to increase to between two and 2.5 terabytes monthly by 2030, driven by growing use of streaming services, cloud applications, online gaming, video, and AI.
Both companies positioned the partnership as a response to the infrastructure requirements of an increasingly digital economy. Fibre networks are widely viewed as a key enabling technology for supporting growing bandwidth demands because of their capacity and scalability.
“Fibre remains the gold standard for superior internet connectivity, and AT&T is the nation’s leader in fibre,” said John Stankey, chairman and CEO of AT&T. “Fibre’s speed, reliability, and capacity remain unmatched for any home or business.”
In its announcement, AT&T also highlighted its broader approach to connectivity, which combines fibre, wireless, and satellite technologies. Under this model, fibre and wireless networks serve most customers, while satellite services help extend coverage to remote areas where traditional broadband infrastructure may be difficult to deploy.
The announcement reflects broader trends across the digital infrastructure sector, where companies are investing heavily in network capacity to accommodate rising AI workloads and data traffic. As AI applications become more widely adopted, demand for high-performance connectivity and lower-latency infrastructure is expected to increase.
The deal also carries a domestic manufacturing and workforce component. Corning said it would continue to leverage its US-based fibre and cable manufacturing operations, including facilities in North Carolina, while AT&T emphasised the role of its union-represented workforce in deploying and maintaining network infrastructure.
AT&T noted that the agreement aligns with its previously announced plans to invest more than $250 billion over five years in US connectivity infrastructure. The company said its latest financial guidance and capital allocation plan already account for the impact of the Corning agreement.
For Corning, the partnership strengthens a long-standing relationship between the two companies and supports demand for domestically manufactured fibre products at a time when governments and infrastructure providers are increasingly focused on supply-chain resilience and strategic technology investment.
As telecom operators prepare networks for the next wave of AI-enabled services and growing data consumption, agreements such as this underline the continued importance of fibre infrastructure as a foundation for future connectivity expansion.
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