AT&T announced plans to invest $3 billion USD in Mexico by the end of 2018 in order to extend mobile broadband services. This follows the US operator spending USD 4.4 billion to acquire local mobile providers Iusacell and Nextel Mexico. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson made the pledge in a meeting with Mexico’s president Enrique Pena Nieto, where he praised the regulatory reforms in the country, opening up opportunities for investment.

AT&T plans to create a ‘North American Mobile Service Area’, covering 400 million people in the US and Mexico with its mobile broadband network. AT&T said the first phase of its mobile network upgrade in Mexico will be complete in the next six months and cover 40 million Mexicans, about one-third of the population. By the end of 2016, AT&T expects its mobile internet service will reach 75 million people, nearly two-thirds of the population. AT&T plans to reach 100 million people by year-end 2018.

Next month, AT&T will introduce new plans for Mexican customers to use their individual plans — including voice, data and text messaging — while in the US. Customers on these new plans will also be able to use their available minutes to call friends and family in the US who are on the AT&T network. AT&T will also introduce Google Play billing in Mexico and roll out its customer experience programme Nuestra Promesa (Our Promise).

For its corporate social responsibility programme, AT&T will launch its ‘It can wait’ campaign to discourage texting while driving, become the first Mexican mobile carrier to collaborate with the Alerta Amber initiative tyo send alerts on child abductions to customers, and make contributions and work with non-profit organizations focused on education. In addition, AT&T will offer tuition support to help employees pursue educational opportunities to advance their careers.