AT&T extends reach of 'Internet Air'

AT&T continues to expand the reach of "Internet Air," the company's fixed wireless access (FWA) product that was soft-launched in April and then launched commercially in August.

Following a recent wave of expansions that made Internet Air available to 20 cities, including Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Detroit, AT&T said this week it has launched Internet Air to an additional 13 markets:

That expansion builds on earlier launches of Internet Air in the following markets:

AT&T is using the 5G-powered Internet Air product to capture customers on aging copper infrastructure, in areas where it also offers fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) service in parts of those markets, as well as in several cities and towns where AT&T has no existing wireline broadband offerings.

25,000-plus Internet Air subs

"We view this product as yet another tool in our connectivity toolbox," AT&T CEO John Stankey said last month on the company's Q3 2023 earnings call.

While largely acting as a "targeted catch product," Stankey said AT&T has been pleased with its early reception. He said AT&T had added about 25,000 Internet Air customers so far – enough to help AT&T end Q3 with net broadband subscriber growth of +15,000.

While those gains helped, it's still early days for AT&T's new product. Verizon and T-Mobile, mobile network operators that have been much more aggressive in their use of FWA for home broadband, had a collective 6.87 million fixed wireless customers (2.67 million for Verizon, 4.2 million for T-Mobile) at the end of Q3.

Those FWA products are putting some pressure on cable operator broadband subscriber growth, particularly on the lower end of the market.

AT&T's Internet Air product starts at $55 per month, a price that includes in-home equipment that is being deployed under a self-install model. Customers who combine it with AT&T mobile can get Internet Air for $35 per month.