AT&T Internet Air Review: Comparing Plans, Pricing, Speeds and Availability

AT&T Internet Air review

The technology behind 5G home internet service is still fairly new, but it has already shown promise as a long-overdue upgrade to broadband in rural areas and an amicable alternative to big internet service providers in the city.

T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet have led the way from the start, but one major cellular provider was noticeably absent from the 5G home internet space: AT&T.

While it has a sprawling mobile network and offers traditional fixed wireless internet, AT&T held back on its 5G home internet service. Moreover, AT&T Internet Air was first introduced only to existing DSL customers as a service upgrade.

AT&T Internet Air is now available to new customers along with upgrade-eligible DSL customers in nearly 100 markets across 30 states. Whether it’s available to you as an upgrade or an entirely new service, you’re probably wondering what AT&T Internet Air is and whether it’s worth signing up for. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is AT&T Internet Air?

AT&T Internet Air is a new home internet service delivered over AT&T's 5G wireless network. The enhanced wireless network supports faster speeds than AT&T's traditional fixed wireless service and eliminates the need for a mounted receiver with a direct line of sight to a nearby tower.

That makes it a practical solution for internet in rural areas, but the speeds -- advertised as 75 to 225 megabits per second -- and other perks make Internet Air an option worth considering even in areas where multiple ISPs may be available.

Compared to other 5G home internet providers, specifically T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet, AT&T Internet Air has some catching up to do regarding coverage area and availability. Everything else (including pricing, speeds and service terms) is mostly right on par with the competition.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Currently, AT&T Internet Air offers just one plan option. Service includes the fastest speeds available, typically between 75 and 225Mbps down and 10 to 30Mbps up, starting at $60 a month. A 20% discount is available to qualifying AT&T mobile customers.

Actual speeds to the home will vary depending on proximity to a tower and network congestion. Some may see faster speeds, at least until more customers join the local network, while others may experience slower speeds. The FCC defines broadband as at least 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up, so if your AT&T Internet Air speeds fall on the lower end, it may technically not qualify as a broadband connection. 

Again, I’m talking about speeds to the home here. Once the connection reaches your home, factors such as using Wi-Fi versus Ethernet, connecting multiple devices and distance from the router can affect your speeds.

Be prepared for fluctuating speeds, possible throttling

While a wired connection like cable, fiber or even DSL, can generally offer consistent speeds to the home, speeds over a wireless service, even one as advanced as 5G, can vary considerably at any time for a number of reasons.

Inclement weather can affect your connection (here’s what to do if a power outage takes out your internet), but network congestion is the most likely cause of slower 5G home internet speeds. 

To counter the potential problem, AT&T says it will “greatly reduce your speed for a minimum of 30 minutes” if your usage is deemed to be significantly contributing to network congestion. 

What’s not clear, however, is how AT&T determines when and how you are contributing to network congestion. I would recommend keeping somewhat aware of your internet use -- how many devices are connected, what tasks they are performing and at what time of day -- for the first few months of service. 

Take note of any speed throttling instances (here’s how to spot speed throttling) to understand what may cross the congestion contribution threshold. If you notice speed throttling, you can manage your internet data usage in a few different ways.

Here's where you can find AT&T Internet Air service

Wireless delivery is an advantage to 5G home internet as it can reach many homes in an area without the need for running cables. That said, AT&T Internet Air does not yet boast nearly the same availability as T-Mobile Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet.

AT&T Internet Air is currently available in 59 locations across 30 states. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but many markets are also serviceable for AT&T Fiber. If your address is eligible for AT&T Fiber, you want that -- even the slowest AT&T Fiber plan is cheaper, faster and comes with truly unlimited data compared to AT&T Internet Air.

AT&T Internet Air is still growing but here are some of the major cities from that coverage map:

• Austin, Texas
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Beaumont, Texas
• Brownsville, Texas
• Buffalo, New York
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Corpus Christi, Texas
• Durham, North Carolina
• Fort Myers, Florida
• Harlingen, Texas
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Jacksonville, Florida
• Laredo, Texas
• Little Rock. Arkansas
• McAllen, Texas
• Naples, Florida
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Port Arthur, Texas
• Raleigh, North Carolina
• San Antonio, Texas
• San Diego, California
• Santa Barbara, California
• Syracuse, New York
• Tallahassee, Florida
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• West Palm Beach, Florida

Residents might also find coverage in Fort Pierce, Florida; Weslaco, Texas; San Luis Obispo, California; Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Panama City, Florida; Thomasville, Georgia; Sherman, Texas; Ada, Oklahoma; and Victoria, Texas.

When I ran serviceability checks, using dozens of addresses in various AT&T Internet Air markets, results mostly included AT&T Fiber plans or AT&T Internet -- the DSL service AT&T Internet Air is replacing. Very few addresses gave me the option of AT&T Internet Air, despite checking availability in and around roughly 15 cities.

You can check AT&T Internet Air availability at your address here. If you are an AT&T Internet (DSL) customer, AT&T will likely contact you when Internet Air becomes available as an upgrade to your home internet service.

Service terms for AT&T Internet Air

The network congestion policy is a bit vague, but everything else that can affect your service or your bill is more straightforward. Equipment is included at no extra cost, there are no overage fees, no contracts and no set price increases at the 12-month mark.

Free equipment

AT&T’s sleek-looking Internet Air router is included with the monthly cost. The self-setup process (no professional installation required) involves little more than plugging in the router and setting up your Wi-Fi network. You may want to try placing the router in different locations throughout your home to determine which spot gives you the best coverage and connection quality.

If your connection is lacking in certain areas of your home, AT&T offers whole-home mesh Wi-Fi with up to five extenders for an additional $10 monthly.

No overage fees

This language from AT&T for Internet Air is new to me. AT&T Fiber has no data caps or unlimited data. AT&T Internet, the DSL service, and AT&T Fixed Wireless have set data caps and fees for going over.

AT&T Internet Air does not mention specific data caps, only that there are no overage fees. That would imply that you can use as much data as you want, which sounds “unlimited.” However, there’s that risk of speed throttling. So, while your data use may result in throttled speeds for a period, you won’t have to worry about it adding anything to your bill.

No contracts or set price increase at 12 months

There are no contracts with AT&T Internet Air, so you can try the service risk-free without fear of early termination fees if you decide the service isn’t for you. 

If AT&T Internet Air does end up meeting your needs, you won’t be hit with a set price increase after a year of service. That’s not to say the price will never go up, but there isn’t a definite, and potentially steep, price increase at the 12-month mark like you get with many internet providers.

How does AT&T Internet Air compare?

AT&T Internet Air is still a relatively new service, so it’s tough to say how it holds up to other internet providers when it comes to performance and overall value. 

On paper, AT&T Internet Air is comparable to 5G home internet from T-Mobile, though it lacks the same breadth of coverage. Speeds are about the same at 75 to 225Mbps (72 to 245Mbps with T-Mobile) and both have a starting monthly price of $60 plus a mobile bundle discount. Verizon 5G Home Internet has a higher speed range than both (50 to 300Mbps or 85 to 1,000Mbps) and lower starting price at $50 monthly, or lower for qualifying mobile customers.

Considering the mobile bundle discount, choosing AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile for 5G home internet may depend on your wireless carrier. 

As for other connection types, AT&T Internet Air will likely be a significant improvement over DSL, but I wouldn’t count on it replacing your cable or fiber service just yet. Depending on the available providers in your area, cable and fiber internet will offer more, and faster, speed options and better connection quality, even if the price is a bit more per month. If you want to find out more, read our cable vs. fiber review.

AT&T Internet Air customer satisfaction

Again, AT&T Internet Air is a newer service, so there’s little to go by when gauging customer reception and satisfaction. It is worth noting, however, that AT&T consistently performs well according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. 

AT&T Fiber recently claimed the ACSI’s top spot for customer satisfaction among fiber providers, scoring 80 out of 100. Among non-fiber providers, AT&T Internet gravitated toward the top with a 69/100, highlighting a 4% decrease from the previous year. Interestingly, the only ISPs with higher scores were 5G home internet providers T-Mobile and Verizon. 

I turned to Reddit for more insight into how well the service has been received thus far. Reddit was, as it often is, a mixed bag of positive and negative comments.

Some praised the speeds and connection quality while others said they would rather keep their DSL service and referred to Internet Air’s cellular internet service as “a glorified hotspot for your home.”

So, is AT&T Internet Air worth it?

It’s still early, but given the popularity, convenience and apparent value of 5G home internet service, I would say AT&T Internet Air is at least worth considering, especially for those in rural areas where options are often limited.

Ultimately, there is no contract with AT&T Internet Air, so there is no risk to testing it out to see what kind of speeds and latency you can get at your address.

AT&T Internet Air FAQs