New York, Jan 14, 2026, 21:25 EST — Market closed
- AT&T shares rose 1.3% by Wednesday’s close but dipped a bit in after-hours trading
- A filing revealed that AT&T finalized a $1.018 billion deal to acquire spectrum assets from Array
- Traders are eyeing AT&T’s earnings report on Jan. 28 for clues on cash flow and spending in 2026
AT&T shares climbed Wednesday following a regulatory filing revealing the telecom giant finalized a $1.018 billion acquisition of spectrum assets. The deal underscores carriers’ ongoing willingness to pay top dollar for airwaves as the next phase of 5G investment looms. 1
This deal is crucial because spectrum—the airwaves carriers rely on for wireless data—is a finite resource that caps network capacity. Investors are wrestling with whether hefty spectrum purchases will boost service reliability and pricing clout, or simply lead to higher capital costs without much gain as competition remains fierce. 2
Array Digital Infrastructure, part of Telephone and Data Systems, announced a cash sale of some of its retained spectrum licenses. This move comes after a lengthy push to monetize spectrum left over from a previous deal. “We are pleased with the significant value realized in this sale,” said Array President and CEO Anthony Carlson, noting the company plans to return value via a special dividend. 3
AT&T finished up 1.33% at $23.61, swinging between $23.33 and $23.72 during the session. After-hours, it slipped roughly 0.2%, per market data. 4
Array disclosed in the filing that New Cingular Wireless PCS, an AT&T subsidiary, is the buyer. Of the $232 million purchase price, that amount was assigned specifically to certain 700 MHz spectrum licenses. 1
Barclays analyst Kannan Venkateshwar held an “Equal-Weight” rating on AT&T as of Jan. 13 but trimmed his price target to $26 from $28. This marks one of several telecom model revisions seen early this year. 5
Telecom service reliability returned to the spotlight Wednesday as users of major U.S. carriers reported outages. An AT&T spokesperson insisted the network was running normally but warned customers might experience issues when connecting with users on the affected carrier. 6
That said, investors face several risks here. More spectrum won’t necessarily cut churn, and heavy promotional activity across the sector could squeeze margins right when carriers are trying to keep costs in check.
AT&T’s fourth-quarter earnings, due Jan. 28, are shaping up as the next major trigger. Investors will zero in on guidance for 2026 free cash flow and capital expenditures, plus updates on the rollout speed of the newly acquired airwaves. 7
