AT&T eyes expanding fiber network in Florida on top of major upgrades

AT&T eyeing expanding high speed infrastructure in Florida.

AT&T officials say they’re now poised to provide fiber-optic communications service to more Floridians than ever and have exceeded 7.2 million miles of fiber laid down within the Sunshine State.

Those high-speed connections now reach more than 2.3 million fiber customers in 165 Florida communities and more is to come, say AT&T officials. Company executives say they’ve now surpassed spending more than $5.4 billion on expanding AT&T’s high-speed network infrastructure between 2019 to 2023.

“We understand how a connection can make the difference. That’s why our mission is to bring connectivity to everyone, no matter where they live or where they come from. We’re working to not only boost network reliability and capacity but also expand broadband nationwide to help bridge the digital divide,” said AT&T Gulf States President Joe York in a prepared statement.

The biggest Florida expenditure of AT&T on that network expansion was in the Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale area where $1.7 billion was put into the high-speed infrastructure. Another $725 million was spent by the communications giant in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area, $450 million was spent in the Jacksonville area, another $375 million was infused into the Tampa-St. Petersburg area and another $175 million was spent in the Pensacola area.

While most of the AT&T expansion of fiber service has focused on larger metropolitan areas in Florida, York said the company has committed to higher performance in cultural centers in those cities.

“We’re ramping up performance in high traffic areas, like airports, stadiums and venues, including Amalie Arena, Amway Arena, Hard Rock Stadium, Raymond James Stadium and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena,” he said.

But York noted the company is now turning to vast swaths of municipalities in less-populated areas of Florida.

“For less densely populated areas we’re expanding our 5G network so people there can have access to reliable connectivity,” York said.