AT&T Business Fiber: A Comprehensive Review
As Jet Hotel Solutions (https://www.jethotelsolutions.com/), we know how critical reliable and fast internet is for day-to-day operations. After extensive research into the top business internet providers, I decided to take a deep dive into AT&T Business Fiber to see if it lives up to the hype. Here’s my detailed review of the service, including key features, pricing, customer experience and more.
Why I Chose to Review AT&T Business Fiber
In the competitive landscape of business internet providers, AT&T stands out for its exceptional fiber speeds and broad nationwide availability. With over 675,000 U.S. business buildings lit with AT&T fiber, there’s a good chance the service is an option for your company. But availability alone isn’t enough – the speeds, reliability, pricing and customer service also have to deliver.
I was especially intrigued by AT&T Fiber’s symmetrical upload and download speeds – a rarity among major ISPs. For data-heavy tasks like large file transfers, cloud backups and high-quality video conferencing, having equal upload and download capacity is a huge advantage. So I set out to determine if AT&T Business Fiber is indeed the cream of the crop for business internet.
Key Features of AT&T Business Fiber
There’s a lot to like about the core features of AT&T’s business fiber plans:
Symmetrical Speed Up to 5 Gbps The headlining attraction is the ultrafast symmetrical speeds, ranging from 100 Mbps up to a blistering 5 Gbps for uploads AND downloads. At the top end, that’s exponentially faster than what cable competitors like Comcast and Spectrum can deliver on the upload side. Even Verizon’s fastest fiber tops out at 880 Mbps for uploading. If your business regularly deals with large files or needs maximum bandwidth for video, AT&T Fiber is unrivaled.
No Annual Contract Required-I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the fiber plans don’t require locking into an annual contract. You can essentially subscribe on a month-to-month basis, providing welcome flexibility. The dedicated internet plans do require a 2-year term, however.
24/7 Security and Support Around-the-clock proactive network monitoring, threat detection and support come standard. I was impressed that service outages automatically generate a ticket on your behalf to get the issue resolved ASAP. You can also opt for the AT&T ActiveArmor cybersecurity suite for an added layer of protection against malware and other threats.
Symmetric speeds up to 5 Gbps for uploads and downloads No annual contract required for fiber plans 24/7 proactive security monitoring and customer support Static IP addresses included with dedicated internet Internet backup available to maintain critical connections.
Pricing & Plans
Pricing & PlansAT&T Business Fiber pricing varies based on the speed tier and your location. For reference, here are the price ranges I was quoted for a business address in Southern California:
100 Mbps – $65/mo 300 Mbps – $95/mo 1 Gbps – $160/mo 2 Gbps – $225/mo 5 Gbps – $395/mo
The prices are competitive with other fiber providers, and you don’t have to worry about a big price hike after a promotional period ends since the rates aren’t contract-based.
For businesses needing even more speed and uptime guarantees, AT&T’s dedicated internet plans provide up to 1 Gbps with symmetrical speeds starting around $1500/mo. SLAs are included with the dedicated service for 99.95% uptime.
Limitations to Consider
As with any provider, there are some potential drawbacks to note with AT&T Business Fiber:
Installation appointments book up quickly in some areas, so you may have to wait 2+ weeks to get up and running after ordering. The installation also requires a technician visit and costs $100 (though it’s often waived with promos).
The top-end 2 Gbps and 5 Gbps speed tiers have limited availability currently. And of course, AT&T Fiber in general is not accessible everywhere. Rural areas in particular may be out of luck.
The service-level agreement for dedicated fiber guarantees 99.95% uptime, while some competitors like Verizon offer 100% SLAs. But for most use cases, 99.95% is more than sufficient.
The Bottom Line
After thoroughly evaluating AT&T Business Fiber, I can confidently recommend it as an excellent, if not the best, choice for business internet service – with a couple caveats.
If your business heavily depends on uploading large files, doing frequent cloud backups, or using bandwidth-heavy applications, AT&T Fiber should be at the very top of your list. The symmetrical speeds are unmatched and provide a noticeable performance edge.
Businesses with multiple users who do a lot of video conferencing will also see a major benefit from the fast, symmetrical speeds. And the lack of an annual contract requirement provides nice peace of mind.
However, if your business is in a rural area, you’ll likely need to look at alternatives like satellite internet from Viasat or 4G/5G fixed wireless. And if you absolutely need a 100% uptime guarantee, you may prefer Verizon’s fiber service.
But for most other businesses, especially in urban areas, I wholeheartedly endorse AT&T Business Fiber. The speed, reliability and flexibility are top-notch and make it an excellent foundation for running your company’s digital operations.