Is AT&T Really Offering Internet Service Nationwide?

AT&T buys Quantum Fiber

This week, AT&T finalized its $5.75 billion purchase of fiber internet assets from Lumen, which owns both CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber. The purchase means AT&T can now reach more than 40 million home internet customers with fiber, up from about 32 million before the sale.

In terms of paying customers, the deal adds more than 1 million fiber subscribers to AT&T’s balance sheet in major metro areas, including Denver, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.

The new AT&T fiber states are Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa.

Existing Quantum Fiber customers will become AT&T Fiber customers, but they’ll get to keep their Price for Life guarantee. If you signed up for a 1 Gig Price for Life plan with Quantum Fiber, for instance, you’ll get to keep paying $75 per month, even though AT&T customers are charged $80 per month for the same plan. Quantum Fiber customers will get to keep their $30 monthly discount too.

Former Quantum Fiber customers will also get the chance to bundle with AT&T wireless. If you do, and you have any of AT&T’s unlimited plans, you get $20 off per month when you combine bills.

AT&T’s purchase leaves DSL customers behind

AT&T’s purchase from Lumen included only its fiber footprint, not its DSL one. Lumen is also keeping its enterprise customers and “all national, regional, state, and metro level fiber backbone network infrastructure, central offices, and associated real estate,” it said in a press release.

That means if you have DSL from CenturyLink, you may be stuck with download speeds capped at a lackluster 140Mbps, with prices of $55 per month. Speeds are even slower if you live far from your closest central office. At least CenturyLink doesn’t require contracts, so you’re free to shop around.

If you can get a 5G home internet plan from AT&T, that may mean speeds up to 300Mbps. T-Mobile‘s fixed wireless speeds are even faster, depending on your plan, and Verizon‘s are the fastest of the bunch, but you’ll pay premium prices. All three offer discounts when you bundle home internet and wireless service.

AT&T buys midband spectrum from EchoStar

Not everyone can get AT&T Fiber, even after the Lumen acquisition. However, a lot more people may be able to get 5G home internet from AT&T thanks to a pending acquisition from EchoStar, owner of Boost Mobile.

The purchase of 3.45 GHz spectrum licenses means AT&T controls a bigger share of over-the-air traffic. In turn, that means it can offer 5G in a lot more places, and that its 5G will be faster and more reliable than ever.

Compared to 5G home internet from T-Mobile, AT&T’s network reaches further into rural areas thanks, in part, to its commitment to supporting public safety communications through the FirstNet partnership.

The deal isn’t finalized, but AT&T has leased the spectrum from EchoStar in the interim, which is why it can now claim that it offers home internet service nationwide.

Don’t sleep on these AT&T deals!

Why AT&T may still be unavailable where you live

AT&T owns a lot of fiber now, and can technically offer its 5G home internet service, Internet Air , nationwide. But there’s still a good chance you won’t be able to sign up.

First, let’s talk fiber limitations. Even after the merger, AT&T reaches only about 15% of homes and businesses in the U.S., according to the latest broadband coverage map from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

AT&T 5G home internet reaches another 15%, but you can get it only if there’s excess capacity on local cell towers. Even if you can get AT&T 5G, your speeds may be disappointing and unreliable, especially if there’s a lot of cell traffic on the network.

That said, new developments with 5G standalone networks and AI tech that sets aside slices just for home internet service could make 5G feel just as fast as cable—and a lot faster than DSL.

If you haven’t tried 5G home internet yet, 2026 may be the year to give it a whirl.