AT&T connected the first fibers of its new headquarters in Plano at a groundbreaking event Nov. 12.
The full story
City officials, AT&T representatives and facility developers celebrated the start of construction for the incoming internet provider corporate campus. Officials opted out of the traditional shovel-in-the-dirt ceremony, choosing a first fiber connection instead.
"Even our wireless network requires a fantastically strong fiber backbone to be relevant moving forward," AT&T CEO John Stankey said.
Stankey said AT&T has 20 million miles of fiber in Texas, which is used to send data as pulses of light through thin glass or plastic strands for internet service, according to the company website.
The new headquarters will be located at the former Electronic Data Systems campus, per previous reporting. The new 2.2 million-square-foot campus will have seven buildings and a 250-foot cell tower that will also function as a landmark in Plano.
The local impact
The new campus is expected to bring 10,000 jobs to the region by 2039 to meet the conditions of a city economic incentive approved Feb. 23, per previous reporting.
City Manager Mark Israelson said Plano is known to house companies like JPMorgan, Toyota and Liberty Mutual.
"Plano focuses on balancing that aspect of having a great workforce, having great amenities like our parks and libraries, having a great public safety system and investing in infrastructure," he said. "That really helps us to attract companies that know that the local government is going to be well-run and taken care of."
Up to 22,000 people will be working during peak construction for the corporate office, KDC Real Estate Development & Investments President Eric Hage said. The company is working in partnership with Gensler and CBRE.
Looking ahead
Michael Ford, the senior vice president of global real estate and security at AT&T, said the former EDS campus was demolished over the course of six months, with two implosions used in the process.
The first two buildings of the campus will be available in 2028, Ford said and the rest are expected to be completed by April 2029.
"Texas is becoming one of the country's great technology hubs and AT&T is proud to be at the center of that momentum," Ford said.
