US telecoms firm AT&T is partnering with Amazon’s cloud and satellite units. The former will move more workloads to the cloud and utilize Amazon’s satellite fleet, while the cloud provider will benefit from new fiber connectivity between its data centers.

AT&T, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Amazon Leo this week announced work to “modernize the nation’s connectivity infrastructure.”

The agreement will see AT&T migrate workloads from several of its current on-premises technologies to AWS’s on-premises hybrid cloud offering, AWS Outposts. The operator plans to use Amazon Q Developer and other AWS Agentic Services to “accelerate migration of network service enablement” to AWS. The companies say the move will result in improved resilience, better infrastructure management, and faster modernization of systems.

In turn, AT&T will connect AWS data center locations with high-capacity fiber, while Amazon Leo will provide Internet connectivity services to AT&T.

Utilizing the satellite provider will allow AT&T to “broaden its connectivity capabilities” and deliver fixed broadband services to business customers in areas where such services are needed.

Full details on the scale of AT&T’s planned Outpost deployment weren’t shared. The companies also didn’t share any information on any new planned fiber to service Amazon’s data centers.

"This collaboration with AWS marks a pivotal step forward in shaping the future of connectivity in the United States," said Shawn Hakl, senior vice president, product, AT&T Business. "Fiber is the foundation of that future – it delivers the speed, capacity, and reliability that modern networks demand. By pairing our expanding fiber infrastructure with AWS’s cloud capabilities and through our collaboration to deliver the infrastructure of the future by connecting data centers, we’re creating a more resilient, scalable, and intelligent connectivity ecosystem. AT&T provides customers with reliable, high-speed connectivity wherever they need it."

The news comes a few months after AT&T launched its 400G Express Waves connectivity offering.

"AWS is working with AT&T to advance their goal of expanding connectivity across the United States," added Jan Hofmeyr, vice president, telecommunications at AWS. "AT&T gains access to AWS's cloud capabilities and AI tools to accelerate its infrastructure modernization, while AWS benefits from AT&T's expertise in high-capacity fiber networking. By combining AT&T's leadership in advanced fiber networking with AWS' cloud and AI capabilities, we're creating new opportunities to deliver innovative services to customers nationwide.”

Plans for Amazon's satellite constellation were first revealed in 2019. The company has launched more than 180 of the 3,200+ planned Leo satellites into orbit. It aims to begin delivering services to its first customers later this year, ahead of a wider roll-out.

To date, Amazon has signed deals with telecoms firms including Vodafone and Vodacom, Verizon, NBN Co., and Vrio, as well as airline JetBlue. An AWS deal with mining company Gold Fields mentioned using Kuiper for connectivity at its remote locations.

AT&T has previously partnered with AST SpaceMobile for planned direct-to-device connectivity services from low Earth Orbit. AT&T is also a Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud customer.

AWS Outposts is an on-premise offering that was first launched in 2018. The latest generation, including a telecoms-specific version, launched last year.

European telecoms group Vodafone has previously deployed Oracle’s on-premise hybrid cloud offering in its data centers.