AT&T broke ground on its new global headquarters in Plano on November 12, 2026, starting construction on a 54-acre, seven-building campus that the company says will total 2.2 million square feet. Instead of a shovel, AT&T marked the day by laying the campus’s first fiber connection. The first employees are expected to move in during the second half of 2028.
The groundbreaking makes a decision announced earlier this year concrete: AT&T is leaving Whitacre Tower in downtown Dallas, its headquarters since 2008, for a suburban campus at 5400 Legacy Drive. The site sits on land that once belonged to the Electronic Data Systems (EDS) campus. AT&T’s announcement covers the campus and the ceremony. It says nothing about the downtown tower, the incentives Plano offered, or how many people will work there.
For downtown businesses that sell lunch, parking, dry cleaning or office services to AT&T employees, the clock now has a date on it. Late 2028 is less than two years out. That is enough time to plan for the change, and not enough to wait and see.
What AT&T Announced in Plano
AT&T describes the campus as an “integrated, horizontal headquarters” that brings its Dallas-Fort Worth teams together in one place. The plan includes seven buildings on 54 acres and an approximately 250-foot working cell tower. AT&T fiber and 5G will run throughout the site.
The company says the tower will improve wireless coverage for the surrounding neighborhood and serve as a Plano landmark. Renderings released with the announcement show a tall tower topped by a globe shape that echoes the AT&T logo.
Plano Mayor John Muns joined AT&T executives and employees at the ceremony, along with representatives of the three firms behind the project:
- Gensler, the architect, represented by principal Scott Armstrong
- KDC, the developer, represented by president Eric Hage
- CBRE, the real estate adviser, represented by vice chairman Andy Leatherman
Chairman and CEO John Stankey framed the project around employees:
“Our new headquarters in Plano is an investment for our current and future employees, and our North Texas community. With this new campus, we’re creating the environment that makes life better, drives collaboration and serves our customers for decades to come.”
Muns called it “a significant investment in our community” that “reinforces Plano’s reputation as a place where businesses can grow and succeed.”
What the Press Release Leaves Out
The announcement reads like a celebration. The public record fills in the deal behind it.
The incentives and the commitments
The Real Deal reported in February that Plano offered AT&T a $20 million incentive package, described as the largest in the city’s history, plus a 65 percent property tax rebate on improvements for 25 years. In return, the reported terms call for AT&T to invest at least $1.4 billion, build at least 2 million square feet, employ 10,000 full-time workers on the campus and stay for at least 25 years.
The 2.2 million square feet in this week’s announcement clears that minimum. The release does not mention a headcount.
The land has a history
According to The Real Deal, the 54 acres are part of a 215-acre tract owned by NexPoint that includes the former EDS campus. EDS was one of the region’s defining technology employers. In 2007 it was still signing deals such as its contract extension with 7-Eleven, and Hewlett-Packard bought the company the following year. Two decades later, a different technology company is putting its headquarters on the same ground.
What This Means for Downtown Dallas
Dallas Innovates reported that AT&T had nearly 6,000 workers at its downtown location as of 2022. Whitacre Tower anchors the Discovery District, the dining and entertainment district AT&T built around its headquarters. Losing a corporate headquarters of that size is a real blow to the daytime economy downtown.
It does not mean Dallas is losing the office argument. Investors have kept buying in Uptown, where Cousins Properties paid $218 million for The Link, a building that was 93.6 percent leased at the time of the deal Portal of Dallas covered. Crescent Real Estate made a similar bet with its purchase of 2100 McKinney. The pattern is that newer, amenity-heavy space is winning tenants, and older towers have to compete for them.
That is the real story here. AT&T did not leave a tower for a smaller one. It left for a mid-rise campus with green space, built around how its employees now work.
Our Read on the Move
Plano got the headline. Downtown Dallas got the harder question.
The Legacy area already holds the North American headquarters of Toyota and large campuses for JPMorgan Chase and other national employers. Adding AT&T makes far north Collin County one of the densest corporate corridors in Texas. Restaurants, hotels, child care providers and service firms near Legacy Drive will feel that demand by 2029.
The open question is Whitacre Tower. This week’s announcement does not say what happens to the building. Until AT&T says, downtown landlords and businesses are planning around a gap. Treat any rumor about the tower’s next tenant with suspicion until AT&T or a buyer confirms it.
What To Do Next
If your business depends on AT&T’s downtown workforce, start now:
- Count how much of your revenue comes from AT&T employees and their visitors
- Talk to your landlord about lease terms that run past late 2028
- Look at the Legacy corridor if a second location makes sense
- Watch for AT&T’s decision on Whitacre Tower before making long-term commitments
If you work for AT&T, the move date matters for housing and commutes. Plano and the surrounding Collin County suburbs will see more demand as 2028 approaches.
The campus is supposed to open in phases starting in the second half of 2028. Portal of Dallas will follow the construction, the incentive agreement and what comes next for downtown.
