Despite looming job cuts, AT&T wins the fastest wireless network in the nation

AT&T may be reeling from the impact of the coronavirus, but it’s still the fastest wireless network in the nation. At least, that’s according to the latest U.S. Market Report by Ookla released this week for the second quarter.

The results show that AT&T was the fastest in 38 states plus 79 out of 100 of the most populous cities during this period, including key cities in North Carolina.

AT&T also earned top marks for consistency among competitors, with 79.7 percent of U.S. Speedtest results showing at least a 5 Mbps minimum download speed and 1 Mbps minimum upload speed.

“Staying connected is more important than ever right now. I’m proud that AT&T customers in Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and all across North Carolina are staying connected on the network with the fastest wireless speeds in the nation according to results from Speedtest by Ookla,” said Betsy Francis, Vice President and General Manager, Mid-Atlantic and Capital States, AT&T, in a statement. “This is our sixth quarter in a row winning this award and we’re not stopping. We’re continuing to invest in our network in North Carolina to bring the latest technology, like 5G, to our customers.”

The news comes just weeks after the communications giant confirmed a union report that it plans to cut 3,400 jobs and shutter over 250 stores in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“These actions align with our focus on growth areas along with lower customer demand for some legacy products and the economic impact and changed customer behaviors resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jim Greer, assistant vice president for Corporate Communications, said in an email to WRAL TechWire.

“As a result, there will be targeted, but sizable reductions in our workforce across executives, managers and union-represented employees, consistent with our previously announced transformation initiative.

“Additionally, we’ll be eliminating more non-payroll workers — the vast majority of which are outside the United States – than we are managers or union-represented employees.”

The company added that affected workers will receive severance and healthcare coverage.