A shared vision for a more innovative future

Today is an exciting day. I’m proud to share that AT&T and Microsoft are officially joining forces to innovate around 5G, AI, cloud, and edge computing.

It’s no secret the cloud, AI and 5G will drive the next surge in innovation. Accelerating it for customers will take collaboration. For that, there’s no stronger technology pairing than the capabilities of Microsoft’s cloud and AT&T’s network. That’s the significance of our new extensive, multi-year alliance.

Microsoft will be the preferred cloud provider for our non-network applications. This agreement is a huge step toward our goal of becoming a public-cloud first company. Our plan is to migrate most non-network workloads from our data centers to the public cloud by 2024, and Microsoft will support us here as we consolidate our data center infrastructure and operations to meet this goal. This will reduce costs, while making our business faster and more agile. On its Azure platform, we can go faster from concept to deployment for customers. And it assures us of leading-edge AI, machine learning and security.

At the same time, Microsoft gains access to our leading network capabilities. We were the first to introduce mobile 5G in the U.S. And by first half of 2020, we expect to have nationwide 5G. Our 5G capabilities are already spurring innovation in manufacturing, healthcare and entertainment. Now, Microsoft will also tap into the innovation and resources our 5G network delivers.

That includes collaborating to design, test and build edge-computing capabilities. Edge computing is the future – and together we’ll be at the forefront. As demand continues skyrocketing for connected devices and streaming, edge computing plus low-latency 5G connections allows processing to move from devices and data centers to the network.

Looking ahead, we’ll work with Microsoft to launch integrated industry solutions from IoT and intelligent edge to public safety and cybersecurity. And for consumers, the possibilities are endless. Think about what happens when raw speed, low latency, minimal power consumption and high-end graphics processing become ubiquitous. That’s game-changing for streaming, AR and VR, autonomous cars and more.

This is just the beginning. We’re also exploring ways to work together in the community. Like AT&T, Microsoft doesn’t just stare at social problems. We both roll up our sleeves and get out on the front lines. In our case, it’s about addressing issues like violence, unemployment and homelessness through AT&T Believes. I see real possibilities for working together and combining technology with compassion to make a difference in people’s lives.

For both companies, this is an exciting opportunity to benefit consumers, first responders, businesses and communities throughout the country. Together, we’ll be able to innovate faster to build a world that works for everyone.