AT&T’s 5G home internet service is now available in far more locations.
The service, which the company calls “InternetAir,” is available in 59 markets, including major markets such as San Diego, Charlotte, North Carolina and Indianapolis, the company said in an update Tuesday.
The news marks an expansion in more than 20 markets, allowing telecom providers to narrow the gap slightly with their two biggest rivals. AT&T launched Internet Air in earnest in the summer and is expanding its reach, but it is still several years behind Verizon and T-Mobile, which have been bringing 5G home internet service to market for at least two years. There is.
The impact of an early start is reflected in each number. In the fourth quarter, T-Mobile added 541,000 customers, while Verizon added less than half that number, 231,000 customers. AT&T had the lowest number with 67,000.
Still, AT&T is gaining momentum by expanding its number of markets and making its service more widely available. The company, like Verizon and T-Mobile, has been riding a wave of interest in 5G home internet (dubbed Cord Cutting 2.0) and putting pressure on traditional cable providers like Comcast. Customers are attracted to the simple installation process and easy-to-understand pricing plans.
AT&T has long resisted entering 5G home internet, primarily focusing on fiber as its primary broadband option. But while fiber optics is expensive and time-consuming to deploy, 5G home internet primarily uses excess spectrum capacity from wireless networks.
