AT&T's copper retirement goals are 'realistic' – analyst

AT&T's framework to retire the bulk of its copper network faces static from some groups and the state of California. But the operator's development of an alternative POTS (plain old telephone service), and an increasingly favorable regulatory environment bode well for its plan, says a top policy analyst. "Considering changing circumstances, we believe [AT&T's] copper retirement goals are realistic," New Street Research analyst Blair Levin explained in a recent research note. "California remains an issue (as do some non-T states for other carriers), but overall, we expect at both the federal and state level, T and other ILECs [incumbent local exchange carriers] will have an increasingly easy time retiring their copper networks." That assessment arrived soon after AT&T detailed a plan to shut down copper-based services across most of its US footprint (save for California) by the end of 2029.