Spotlight On: Lynette Aguilar, Vice President & General Manager – North Texas, AT&T
November 2024 — In an interview with Invest:, Lynette Aguilar, vice president and general manager of AT&T for North Texas, highlighted a transformative year focused on expanding 5G and fiber services, positioning AT&T as a leading provider in the region. The company is actively addressing the digital divide through initiatives like the Connected Learning Center at the Maverick Boys & Girls Club, she added.
What were some of the highlights and key achievements for AT&T in North Texas from the past year?
The past year has been transformative for AT&T. Our teams have been led by an investment strategy focused on expanding 5G and fiber services. Broadly speaking, the wireless industry is going through a period of normalization and we have seen growth in the number of subscribers. What we have done is position ourselves to be the leading provider of converged 5G and fiber services. We have delivered consistent performance due to a focused strategy of keeping our customers at the center of everything we do. Focusing on the customer and staying focused on our investment-led strategy is at the heart of what we are doing.
How do you tailor your services to meet the needs of the region?
This is something that is a passion point for me and so many other employees because it makes the work we do fulfilling. We have an initiative called AT&T Connected Learning that helps us address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability, and safe adoption. Nationally, AT&T is committing $5 billion to help 25 million people connect to high-speed internet this decade. Locally, the focus is on the new Connected Learning Center (CLC) at the Maverick Boys & Girls Club in Amarillo. We do that to provide internet access and high-quality education tools to the children there and their families who are encountering barriers to online participation. We also made a $50,000 contribution to the Maverick Boys & Girls Club for their program support. I had the opportunity to be there for the opening event where we screened a new documentary called Route to Connection. It highlights the struggles and triumphs of Amarillo residents impacted by the digital divide and the barriers in their lives.
This is the first CLC in Amarillo and the 10th CLC in Texas. AT&T has five CLCs in the DFW area, all providing free access to high-speed internet and educational resources. Dell has partnered by donating computers, and AT&T employees provide mentoring in both English and Spanish, which is just a beautiful bow on all of this.
What progress have you made in deploying 5G infrastructure?
Consumers are increasingly showing a preference for converged services with mobility and broadband together. What we are seeing in our fiber business is that we have been able to deliver key penetration milestones faster than we anticipated and faster than providers that don’t operate wireless networks. The reason this is important is that we can reach new broadband customers through our substantial mobile distribution channel. That investment that we have in the infrastructure is paired with the ability to deliver and drive adoption. That is the purpose of our investment and everything we are doing from an economic standpoint, and it has positioned us well for continued success.
What are some of the emerging opportunities you see for AT&T in the North Texas market?
One of the things we are seeing is the increased data demand from both consumers and business sectors, and while the trend began even before COVID, it has just grown since.
From 2019 to 2023, AT&T invested more than $12.6 billion in Texas making us one of the largest capital investors in U.S. connectivity infrastructure, which is critical for supporting North Texas communities. In this region, we have been able to have so much impact on all the communities we serve. One of the partnerships I’d like to highlight is the opportunity to expand the availability of our fiber service through the scaling of our Gigapower joint venture with BlackRock Alternatives. We’re also starting to have capital-light agreements with other providers of commercial open access fiber networks.
How are you collaborating with municipalities and businesses in the region?
AT&T has a 146-year history of innovation as a company. The infrastructure needed by the community is not going to be done by one single entity; so we partner with the government at all levels and with smaller investors, in addition to partnerships like our Gigapower initiative.
Public safety is also a major priority for AT&T. That’s why AT&T bid to be the public partner behind FirstNet – the only nationwide communications network created with and for public safety. We’re honored to have been selected and work in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – an independent government authority – to design and build this interoperable wireless communications platform. FirstNet allows emergency workers from different agencies priority access to the network and each other to help ensure first responders have the connectivity they need, when and where they need it. FirstNet provides a meaningfully differentiated product to public safety during events such as Hurricane Helene. For example, the dedicated FirstNet Response Operations Group – part of our commitment to support our growing public safety base – responded to more than 200 requests during the Hurricane Helene recovery. This was one of our largest emergency response efforts ever.
And most recently, the FCC made the decision to make available 50 megahertz of spectrum to the FirstNet authority to facilitate nationwide deployment of 5G services for first responders. We look forward to working together on plans that take these capabilities to the next level.
How are you promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives?
At AT&T, one of the many ways we advance inclusion is through our annual Employee Group Conference. This event promotes inclusion by bringing together our 14 Employee Groups, which collectively have over 35,000 active memberships for professional development and networking. We also make a concerted effort to employ bilingual staff, which enhances the customer experience. This approach is crucial for both business growth and community engagement.
How do you implement a customer-centric approach?
For almost 150 years, AT&T has been all about our customers. Our company was built to connect people. This idea forms the basis of our purpose: To connect people to greater possibility with expertise, simplicity, and inspiration.
It really is about being out there with our customers, whether that is in their homes, on the phone, or while in our stores. They are very willing to give feedback and let us know what is and what is not working. We also pair that with employee feedback to understand what we can do better to help them perform at their best. That continuous feedback loop between employees and customers helps enhance service delivery and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction.
What is AT&T doing in terms of sustainability?
AT&T is dedicated to environmental sustainability by enhancing climate resilience, achieving carbon neutrality, and providing smart climate solutions. We’re integrating advanced climate data into infrastructure decisions and making it publicly available to aid communities. Our efforts also include renewable energy deals, fleet efficiency, and energy-efficient technologies to reduce our own carbon footprint while leveraging our connectivity solutions to help businesses reduce emissions.
What is the long-term vision and mission for AT&T?
AT&T’s focus remains on expanding 5G and fiber services to connect more people and businesses. The mission is to ensure that people can stay connected in all aspects of life, whether for personal, entertainment or emergency needs. Consistency in purpose and strategy will guide the company’s growth over the next few years, with a continued emphasis on customer experience and innovation.
None of this would be possible without the dedication of our employees. We value the uniqueness of every employee and encourage programs that bring teams and individuals closer together. Ultimately, we believe that inclusivity fuels creativity, drives innovation, and strengthens our connection to the communities we serve. We have over 35,000 in our employee groups representing various backgrounds and identities. More than 2,000 of our frontline employees were promoted to management roles in 2023.
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