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New usage data shows AT&T subscribers are tapping into T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered T-Satellite more than expected, signaling a rapid shift in how carriers and customers think about direct-to-device connectivity. Speedtest intelligence indicates T-Mobile users account for the majority of direct-to-device (D2D) connections to Starlink, roughly six in ten overall and more than seven in ten among devices reporting active service at connection time. The surprise is AT&T’s footprint: about a third of observed connections come from AT&T subscribers, while Verizon’s share is minimal.
T-Mobile US expanded its Advanced Network Solutions portfolio with Edge Control and T-Platform, aiming to deliver private network-like performance over its nationwide 5G-Advanced footprint while simplifying how enterprises deploy, govern, and scale edge workloads. Edge Control enables cellular traffic to exit locally and flow directly into an enterprise’s edge compute environment, rather than traversing centralized cores or the public internet. T-Platform is T-Mobile’s customer portal for managing business services, including Edge Control. Traditional MEC offers low-latency access to hyperscaler edge zones but often relies on internet or backhaul paths that add jitter and sovereignty concerns.
Verizon and AST SpaceMobile have advanced their partnership into a definitive commercial agreement to deliver space-based cellular coverage in the United States starting in 2026. The agreement enables Verizon subscribers to connect “when needed” to AST SpaceMobile’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites using standard, unmodified phones. AST says service will focus on coverage gaps across the continental U.S., and will extend Verizon’s premium 850 MHz low-band spectrum into remote areas. AST highlights successful space tests as proof points and positions the network for both commercial and government use.
Verizon has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Starry, a fixed wireless broadband specialist focused on MDUs across Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington, D.C. Starry brings nearly 100,000 broadband customers and an MDU-centric network architecture built around wideband millimeter-wave and hybrid fiber. Verizon said the move will support its ambition to double fixed wireless subscribers to roughly 8–9 million by 2028 and extend availability to about 90 million households. Starry’s in-market MDU know-how and neutral-host friendly building relationships give Verizon a fast path to scale in cities where it already owns substantial fiber backhaul and large 28/39 GHz mmWave holdings.
AT&T has gone live on Boldyn Networks’ neutral-host infrastructure in New York’s Joralemon Street tunnel, with G line tunnel segments next in the rollout. AT&T customers can now access 5G mobile service through the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) Joralemon Street tunnel, the oldest underwater subway tunnel in New York City, which links the 4/5 lines between Borough Hall in Brooklyn and Bowling Green in Manhattan. Subway connectivity has shifted from convenience to critical infrastructure for safety, accessibility, and productivity. AT&T’s first-mover status sets a competitive benchmark; other national carriers (Verizon and T‑Mobile) are expected to follow as on-boarding progresses across the system.
In 2024, the U.S. cable sector generated $568.7 billion in total economic output and supported 1.3 million jobs across the country. This footprint spans broadband networks, video programming, construction, manufacturing, and a broad vendor ecosystem. It underscores why cable remains a central pillar of America’s connectivity and media economy even as consumption shifts to IP and streaming. Cable broadband providers—led by Comcast, Charter Communications (Spectrum), Cox, Altice USA (Optimum), Mediacom, Cable One (Sparklight), and WOW!—accounted for $366 billion in total economic impact and nearly 888,000 jobs.
Verizon’s digital sub-brand Visible is extending from app-only to omnichannel, adding BestBuy.com today and a nationwide in-store rollout on September 28. Visible offers unlimited data, talk, and text on Verizon’s 5G-capable network, plus unlimited mobile hotspot and no annual contracts. Customers keep the app-led experience - account setup, activation, billing, and support, while gaining retail conveniences like immediate SIM pickup, device compatibility checks, and help from trained associates. The Best Buy partnership signals a broader shift toward hybrid digital-retail engagement in U.S. wireless. Retail staff can guide eSIM setup and BYOD compatibility using GSMA eSIM standards and device tools, shortening time-to-service.
As the U.N. General Assembly convened, U.S. authorities quietly removed a dense cluster of SIM servers and cards that investigators say could have overloaded mobile networks and disrupted emergency communications across the New York metro area. Investigators seized more than 300 SIM servers and roughly 100,000 SIM cards distributed across multiple sites within 35 miles of the United Nations complex. Mass device farms can generate signaling storms that overwhelm cell sites and the mobile core, similar in effect to a distributed denial-of-service attack.
Verizon has launched a 6G Innovation Forum to accelerate research, trials, and standards alignment for the next generation of wireless. The forum convenes major RAN suppliers, including Ericsson, Samsung Electronics, and Nokia - alongside platform and device ecosystem players such as Meta and Qualcomm Technologies. The stated goal is an open, diversified, and resilient 6G ecosystem with global alignment from the outset. Verizon will back the forum with hands-on environments, starting with a dedicated 6G Lab in Los Angeles. Early priorities include testing new spectrum bands and bandwidths, and validating interoperability with mainstream standards bodies.
Manufacturers and wireless providers are shifting 5G from promising pilots to scaled, revenue‑relevant deployments across American factories. A joint report from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and CTIA underscores a clear inflection point: commercial 5G, industrial AI and edge computing are maturing together. With 3GPP Release 16/17 capabilities such as URLLC, time‑sensitive networking integration, network slicing and non‑public networks, 5G is increasingly able to support time‑critical control, quality inspection and safety systems at scale. Production use cases are expanding and delivering measurable benefits. The message is consistent: companies that operationalize 5G alongside AI and automation will capture disproportionate productivity and resiliency advantages.
With the FCC under pressure to deliver 300 MHz of auctionable spectrum, a group of Senate Republicans is urging the agency to preserve the shared 3.5 GHz CBRS band and the unlicensed 6 GHz band that underpin private 5G and next‑gen Wi‑Fi. Ten Senate Republicans, including five members of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter urging the FCC to ensure existing operations in the 6 GHz and Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) bands continue “without disruption.” NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth called for preserving 6 GHz for Wi‑Fi, a stance applauded by NCTA as a recognition that unlicensed spectrum is an economic engine.
AT&T is testing a carrier-grade call-screening assistant that answers unknown calls on your behalf and filters out likely robocalls before your phone ever rings. The operator is trialing an AI “digital receptionist” with select customers that intercepts calls from numbers you don’t recognize, asks the caller to identify themselves and their purpose, and then decides whether to connect, take a message, or end the call. Because the service runs in AT&T’s network, it can also consider patterns from your calling history to recognize frequent contacts and allow them through automatically.

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