AT&T Just Snatched the Deal of the Decade—Here’s Why The $5.75B Lumen Acquisition Could Reshape U.S. Fiber Access!

AT&T’s $5.75 billion acquisition of Lumen Technologies’ Mass Markets fiber business is poised to be one of the most significant telecom deals in recent years. Expected to close in the first half of 2026, the transaction will transfer approximately 1 million subscribers and 4 million fiber-enabled locations across 11 key states—including markets such as Denver, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Minneapolis—into AT&T’s growing fiber footprint. The move is part of a broader strategy by AT&T to double its fiber coverage to 60 million locations by 2030. Analysts have largely praised the deal, noting that AT&T avoided copper liabilities while acquiring valuable ILEC territories that were previously out of its reach. By forming a new open-access wholesale platform similar to its Gigapower JV, AT&T plans to optimize the asset’s value while accelerating deployment. As the company exits legacy copper and leans into next-gen infrastructure, this transaction offers several strategic advantages.