AT&T and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are joining their fiber, satellite, and cloud infrastructures to improve enterprise connectivity, expand coverage, and boost performance.
The partnership targets modernizing AT&T’s internal networks while creating a reciprocal connection to strengthen AWS’s data center transport. Industry leaders see this collaboration as a pragmatic approach to merging terrestrial and non‑terrestrial networks with hyperscale cloud capabilities, addressing the operational complexity of managing distributed environments and enabling monetisation of connectivity in areas previously considered commercially impractical.
Operational efficiency through hybrid cloud
AT&T is moving workloads away from legacy on‑premises systems onto AWS Outposts, a managed hybrid cloud solution that runs AWS infrastructure inside an operator’s own facilities. This migration is intended to improve operational efficiency and accelerate the cadence of internal updates.
Shifting critical network functions to a hybrid cloud requires sophisticated engineering and orchestration. AT&T is working with AWS Professional Services and using Amazon Q Developer tools to streamline the transition. These services help accelerate the enablement of network services, improve infrastructure management, and shorten update cycles for business support systems, strengthening overall resilience.
For IT leaders, the deployment highlights the rising role of generative AI and automation in large migrations. AI-assisted development and code migration tools are becoming integral to meeting tight timelines for extensive infrastructure overhauls.
Fiber supports AI workloads
The collaboration extends beyond AT&T’s internal cloud use. AT&T will link AWS data center sites with high‑capacity fiber, building infrastructure to support cloud services for customers running large‑scale, latency‑sensitive AI applications.
Shawn Hakl, SVP of Product at AT&T Business, said the partnership is a pivotal step for connectivity in the United States, noting that fiber delivers the speed, capacity, and reliability modern networks require. By combining AT&T’s expanding fiber footprint with AWS’s cloud capabilities, he said the companies are creating a more resilient, scalable, and intelligent connectivity ecosystem.
This element of the agreement underscores how hyperscalers and network operators must work together: AI workloads demand lower latency and greater throughput, and the physical layer provided by carriers remains crucial to cloud application performance.
Extending reach via Low Earth Orbit
The deal also includes non‑terrestrial connectivity through Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite service, Amazon Leo. AT&T will partner with Amazon Leo to deliver fixed broadband services to business customers in locations beyond the reach of current terrestrial networks.
Adding LEO satellite connectivity enables operators to offer a single service level agreement for enterprises with distributed assets—such as logistics hubs or remote industrial sites—eliminating the need for separate contracts for primary and backup connectivity in hard‑to‑reach areas.
Jan Hofmeyr, VP of Telecommunications at AWS, said AWS and AT&T are working together to expand connectivity across the United States. He noted that AT&T can leverage AWS’s cloud and AI tools to accelerate infrastructure modernization, while AWS benefits from AT&T’s expertise in high‑capacity fiber networking. Combining AT&T’s fiber leadership with AWS’s cloud and AI capabilities creates opportunities to deliver innovative services nationwide.
The collaboration illustrates the continuing convergence between cloud providers and network operators. Future network deployments will depend on making fiber, satellite, and hybrid cloud technologies operate seamlessly together to support enterprise digitalization.
See also: Russian Luch satellites target European vital connectivity
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