AT&T Internet Air Has Arrived—Here’s How To Get It

AT&T is finally jumping on the 5G home internet bandwagon—but only for select users.

The internet provider recently unrolled a new, 5G-based fixed wireless service called AT&T Internet Air. With a $55 monthly cost for speeds of 40Mbps to 140Mbps, Internet Air is similar in price, capability, and connectivity to the 5G home internet services offered by competitors T-Mobile and Verizon.

However, while those providers offer their 5G plans nationwide, AT&T offers Internet Air only as an upgrade for customers who can no longer get DSL service. We’ve been following 5G home internet closely over the past few years, and this marks AT&T’s first tentative step into the fold. Read on for our deep dive on AT&T Internet Air.

Jump to: Why Internet Air? | Internet Air plan and price | How to get | Other 5G home internet options | FAQ

• Why Internet Air?
• Internet Air plan and price
• How to get
• Other 5G home internet options
• FAQ

Why AT&T Internet Air? And why now?

Unlike T-Mobile and Verizon, AT&T has been vocally resistant to the idea of launching a 5G home internet service. The provider instead has spent the past few years bulking up its fiber network and has recently confirmed it’s on track to reach 30 million customers by 2025.

Meanwhile, AT&T has slowly been phasing out its DSL service, which runs on crumbling landline phone infrastructure and delivers sluggish speeds. DSL service makes up the bulk of AT&T’s network, but the number of DSL users are on the decline and many internet companies have been looking for alternatives. So as DSL heads out to pasture, it makes sense for AT&T to devise an alternative for those customers rather than lose them outright.

These are some of the advantages of AT&T Internet Air: 

• Faster connectivity than DSL internet
• Easy to set up in areas where AT&T has 5G cell service
• Lower price and faster speeds than AT&T fixed wireless

AT&T Internet Air is a way better deal than AT&T fixed wireless

AT&T already offered a fixed wireless internet service prior to launching Internet Air, but this new plan represents a big leap forward.

Internet Air costs a lot less—just $55 per month compared to $69.99 per month. The service gets your Wi-Fi connectivity flowing with a single AT&T All-Fi™ Hub, a modem/router gateway that’s available to Internet Air customers at no extra cost. Internet Air doesn’t have overage charges for monthly data, and it doesn’t come with price hikes after 12 months, either.

Once you sign up, you can keep your DSL service active for up to seven days while testing AT&T Internet Air. If you don’t like it, you can cancel within seven days for a full refund.

Take a look at the details in the table below.

AT&T Internet Air plan and pricing

Does AT&T Internet Air come with unlimited data?

It isn’t clear whether you get totally unlimited data with AT&T Internet Air. An FAQ on AT&T’s website states that the plan doesn’t include overage charges for data, but it’s still possible you could experience slowed speeds if you use too much data on the plan. You may also see slower speeds during peak hours when the network is congested.

Can current fixed wireless customers sign up for AT&T Internet Air?

It’s unclear from AT&T’s website whether current customers of AT&T’s older fixed wireless service are eligible for the bulked-up AT&T Internet Air. It’s possible that you can, but AT&T Internet Air would have to be available at the same location. Head to the next section on this page to learn how to sign up.

This sounds awesome. So how do I get it?

You can get Internet Air by clicking the Get Started button on the AT&T Internet Air website. You can also call customer service at +1-888-909-3690.

The service seems to be limited to current AT&T customers. When we tried to fill out a dummy order for the service, we kept getting routed to a User ID sign-in page that required an email and AT&T cell phone number. According to an FAQ page on the website, you don’t have to be a wireless customer to sign up. But there doesn’t appear to be an option to get the service without already having an established AT&T account.

Go for Verizon or T-Mobile if you want proper 5G home internet

AT&T Internet Air seems to be more of a stopgap than a full-service 5G home internet option. If you’re hankering for some 5G internet, don’t worry—you can get it elsewhere.

Verizon and T-Mobile both offer excellent 5G home internet plans with competitive prices and generous extras. Starry Internet also offers a 5G-type internet plan in scattered cities across the United States.

As with Internet Air, these 5G options come with some sweet perks:

• Flat monthly rate starting at $50
• No fees for installation or equipment
• Unlimited data
• Discounts for subscribers to T-Mobile and Verizon phone plans

Best 5G home internet plans

FAQ