Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile Could One Day Make Mobile Internet Free, Wireless Pioneer Says

Key takeaways

• Towers could become a new revenue source that might eventually let carriers offer free mobile internet, but the transition depends on technology adoption, regulatory approval, and privacy safeguards.
• T‑Mobile third‑quarter service revenue: $19.4 billion
• T‑Mobile postpaid services: $16.3 billion
• AT&T and Ericsson drone detection demo: July 2026

What happened

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), AT&T Inc. (T) and T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) could one day offer free mobile internet, according to wireless pioneer Ray Dolan, CEO of Cohere Technologies. Dolan says cellphone towers could generate new revenue by acting as sensors that detect drones, track vehicles, and monitor environments, with governments and businesses paying for that data. If the income from these intelligence services exceeds the average revenue operators earn per user, carriers could…

Why it matters

The idea suggests a potential paradigm shift in how telecom operators monetize their infrastructure. If towers become profitable data sources, the traditional subscription model could be disrupted, affecting revenue streams and pricing strategies for VZ, T, and TMUS. It also raises regulatory and privacy questions…

Short-term and longer-term

Short-term. Over the next few weeks, watch for any updates from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon on pilot projects or partnerships that could validate tower‑based sensing.

Longer-term. In the coming months, investors should assess whether carriers can realistically generate enough sensor revenue to offset declining ARPU.