AT&T and Verizon Pursue Different Paths Into the Future [telecom]

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AT&T plunges into programming and advertising, while Verizon banks on a network built to milk 5G technology.

By Drew FitzGerald and Sarah Krouse

A maturing wireless industry has drawn sharply different responses from industry leaders AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., two companies that used to move in tandem.

AT&T is diving headfirst into entertainment and advertising, spending tens of billions of dollars to control in-demand programming like HBO's "Game of Thrones" and live National Basketball Association games on TNT that it can distribute throughout its wireless, satellite and fiber-optic networks.