Speaking May 12 at the MoffettNathanson Media and Communications Summit, AT&T SVP and CFO John Stephens acknowledged that COVID-19’s impact on the economy has changed the calculus related to 5G device purchases. But, he said, the nature of AT&T’s 5G build, which also includes LTE upgrades and the FirstNet deployment, will still pass along benefits to users.
“The factors have changed,” Stpehens said, according to a transcript of the virtual discussion. “Yes, a consumer may consider putting off the purchase of many consumer devices, appliances, cars, phones, other things in an effort to retain their resources…That may happen, but it doesn’t affect our profitability.”
