Skip to main content

AT&T 5G home internet: Coverage, speeds, and plans

AT&T doesn’t get much attention when it comes to 5G. T-Mobile was the first to roll out a nationwide network, and Verizon drew lots of attention for its focus on mmWave. But, to be fair, AT&T also focused on mmWave early on, and now has a nationwide network of its own.

Something AT&T doesn’t yet have, however, is a home internet service based on its 5G network coverage. The company does offer a fixed wireless service in rural areas, but the gateways and routers used to support those services don’t seem to support 5G just yet.

But AT&T will almost certainly eventually offer a 5G home internet service. Here’s everything you need to know.

AT&T 5G home internet plans

As mentioned, AT&T doesn’t yet offer a home internet plan based on its 5G network, and it’s a bit difficult to talk about a plan that doesn’t exist. But we can discuss what one might look like, based on what other carriers offer.

Both Verizon and T-Mobile offer home internet services that can take advantage of 5G. They both cost $50 under ideal conditions (already having a phone plan with that carrier, autopay being set up, etc.), and use LTE as a backup in case 5G isn’t available in a particular area. Verizon touts 300Mbps as an average speed, and while T-Mobile says users should get at least 25Mbps, that estimate seems to be from the days of LTE being the standard, so those with 5G should experience better speeds.

Given the fact that AT&T offers both Sub-6 and mmWave, some AT&T users may eventually get much faster speeds, however only time will tell.

AT&T 5G internet plans

AT&T 5G home internet coverage

Image used with permission by copyright holder

AT&T’s 5G home internet coverage is nonexistent, but its actual 5G coverage is now nationwide — and it’s growing. AT&T has a nationwide network that’s built on the Sub-6 spectrum, which basically means that it’s pretty far-reaching and able to penetrate obstacles, but is not the superfast coverage that some were hoping for. AT&T also offers some pockets of mmWave coverage, which is where you’ll get excellent speeds — but you probably won’t connect to those networks for long.

Check out a more in-depth map of AT&T’s 5G coverage straight from the AT&T website.

AT&T 5G home internet service and speeds

When AT&T’s 5G home internet service is live, it should offer speeds of at least a few hundred megabits per second on average, and far more in areas of good coverage. Verizon touts its service as offering average speeds of 300Mb/s, and AT&T should about match that. But we’ll have to wait and see what AT&T’s 5G home internet service does offer when it launches.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Your next phone could get a huge 5G upgrade, thanks to AI
Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 Modem-RF chip.

It’s that time of year again when Qualcomm ushers in its next generation of 5G modem technology. Announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC ) 2024, this year’s Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF system is the successor to last year’s Snapdragon X75, and it builds on the 5G Advanced foundation laid last year with more raw power and new AI features.

While the Snapdragon X75 moved the needle by adding support for the latest 5G Advanced standards, we’re still in that fourth phase of 5G technology, otherwise known as 3GPP Release 18 — and most carrier networks are still catching up. So, with no new standards to embrace, Qualcomm has focused on improving the inside of the Snapdragon X80 to take even fuller advantage of these cutting-edge 5G technologies.
The magic of AI-powered 5G

Read more
This tiny dongle will change 5G connectivity forever
TCL Linkkey IK511 5G Dongle against a blue background.

TCL is having a busy start to 2024. First, it announced a staggering number of new smartphones and two new tablets at CES, and now it’s unveiling something else at MWC 2024 — one of the world’s first 5G dongles that takes advantage of the latest power-efficient 5G standards.

TCL Mobile’s Linkkey IK511 is a pocketable new 5G adapter that’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF system, which debuted last year as the first 5G modem to support the new NR-Light “RedCap” standard.
5G for everyone, everything, everywhere
TCL Linkkey IK511 TCL

Read more
Were you affected by the AT&T outage? You may get some free money
A photo of the AT&T logo on a building.

Last Thursday was a bad day for AT&T. Early in the morning on February 22, AT&T's network went down for thousands of people across the U.S.. The network was offline for hours and outage reports on Down Detector peaked at nearly 75,000. It was eventually fixed, but the damage was still done. Thankfully, if you were among the many people impacted by the outage, we have some good news for you.

On February 24, AT&T published a page on its website called "Making it right." In short, if your AT&T service was down and you were affected by it, you're getting a discount on your next bill. The AT&T page reads as follows:

Read more