AT&T Cut 10,100 Jobs Amid Network Transition
The carrier is shifting from copper to fiber infrastructure, impacting over 30% of its national wire centers.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Telecommunications
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As of June 2026, AT&T has reduced its workforce by 10,100 positions since the start of 2025 as it accelerates the transition of its network from legacy copper to fiber. This organizational restructuring is part of a broader strategy to modernize infrastructure and lower maintenance costs.
Why it matters
The company aims to achieve $4 billion in annual cost savings by 2028 by replacing aging copper systems with high-speed fiber. This shift follows a 26% year-over-year decline in legacy segment revenue, signaling a total move away from older telecommunications standards.
AT&T generated $122 billion in 2025 revenue while concurrently retiring copper services in 60% of California wire centers. The company is scaling toward 40 million fiber locations by the end of 2026 and 60 million by 2030.
The players
AT&T
A major American telecommunications carrier transitioning its network infrastructure from copper to fiber.
Lumen Technologies
A telecommunications company whose assets are being acquired to expand AT&T's fiber network capacity.
BlackRock
An investment management firm partnering with AT&T in a joint venture to fund fiber network expansion.
The details
The transition utilizes AI-driven automation to replace manual maintenance and customer service workflows formerly required by legacy copper lines. To expand its fiber footprint, the company is combining organic buildouts with the acquisition of assets from Lumen Technologies and a joint venture with BlackRock, an investment management firm.
Timeline
AT&T cut 8,000 jobs during 2025.
The company cut 2,100 jobs in the first half of 2026.
Total headcount stood at 130,900 as of June 2026.
Copper services will be discontinued in 30% of national wire centers by late 2026.
The carrier plans to reach 60 million total fiber locations by 2030.
The Tech Race
AT&T's shift to fiber aligns with the industry-wide mandate to decommission copper-based telecommunications infrastructure in favor of higher bandwidth capacity. This transition follows specific FCC approvals that allow carriers to abandon legacy wire centers.
Customers in regions served by copper wire centers should expect service shifts as AT&T migrates users to fiber. While this update improves infrastructure capability, the transition timeline for specific addresses depends on the localized rollout of the 60 million-location fiber target.
The takeaway
The pivot to fiber reflects the declining viability of legacy copper infrastructure in the face of modern data demands. Watch for the company's progress toward its 40 million fiber location goal by the end of 2026 to gauge the speed of this network evolution.
Further reading
Learn more about industry shifts in Telecommunications.
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