PLANO, TEXAS — AT&T (NYSE: T) has broken ground on its $1.3 billion headquarters campus in Plano, about 20 miles north of Dallas. The 54-acre campus is ultimately planned to feature 2.2 million square feet of space across seven buildings, as well as three parking garages and a welcome center.
The telecommunications giant is consolidating roughly 100,000 employees at the new campus. According to the Dallas Business Journal, AT&T employees will relocate to the Plano office from AT&T’s current headquarters at the Whitacre Tower in downtown Dallas, as well as satellite offices in Irving and Plano.
The site formerly housed the headquarters campus for Ross Perot’s Electronic Data Systems (EDS), according to Dallas Business Journal. The former EDS buildings were demolished in August to make way for AT&T.
AT&T is developing the horizontally designed campus in partnership with groups such as Dallas-based developer KDC and global architecture firm Gensler. Employee parking was a critical design element for Gensler, which says that all parking will be covered and situated less than three minutes from a building’s front door. Additionally, the campus core will be positioned within a quarter mile from all parking options.
The newly constructed buildings will be outfitted with AT&T fiber and 5G wireless capabilities that the company says will “provide the speed, capacity and low latency needed for AI, real-time collaboration and emerging workplace technologies.” The corporate campus will feature a 250-foot working cell tower that will serve as a recognizable landmark for the corporate campus.
Yesterday’s groundbreaking ceremony commenced with the campus’ first fiber connection. Plano Mayor John Muns, Scott Armstrong of Gensler, Eric Hage of KDC and Andy Leatherman of CBRE participated in the ceremony along with AT&T CEO John Stankey.
“Our new headquarters in Plano is an investment for our current and future employees and our North Texas community,” says Stankey. “With this new campus, we’re creating the environment that makes life better, drives collaboration and serves our customers for decades to come.”
According to multiple media outlets, KDC is seeking $3.5 billion in debt financing to fund the construction of the new campus. The development team received an incentive package from the City of Plano that includes a $20 million grant and tax breaks that could result in nearly $100 million in savings, according to Dallas Business Journal.
AT&T, which has called North Texas home since 2008, expects to welcome its first employees to the new campus in the second half of 2028. The company expects the campus to be fully delivered by mid-2029.
Founded in 1885, AT&T provides connectivity for more than 100 million U.S. families and nearly 2.5 million businesses. AT&T’s stock price closed on Thursday, Nov. 12 at $22.18 per share, down from $25.75 a year ago, a 13.8 percent decline.
— John Nelson and Taylor Williams