AT&T Internet is an AT&T brand of broadband internet service. Previously, AT&T Internet was branded as U-verse Internet and bundled with U-verse TV, which was spun off into the newly independent DirecTV in 2021. AT&T Internet plans powered by fiber-optic cable use the AT&T Fiber brand.
Services AT&T delivers most internet service over a fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) or fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) communications network. In the more common FTTN deployment, fiber-optic connections carry all data (internet, IPTV, and voice over IP) between the service provider and a distribution node. The remaining run from the node to the network interface device in the customer's home uses a copper-wire current loop that is traditionally part of the PSTN (public switched telephone network). In more recently constructed housing developments, AT&T uses an FTTP deployment—they run fiber-optic cable from their DSLAM all the way to an optical network terminal in the customer's home.
In areas where AT&T deploys internet through FTTN, they use High-speed digital subscriber lines with ADSL2+ or VDSL technology. Service offerings depend on the customer's distance to an available port in the distribution node, or the central office.
In so-called "fringe" areas, AT&T provides High Speed Internet through IP-DSLAM ADSL2+, which does not require pair bonding or a VRAD and operates at slower bitrates than pair-bonded VDSL2. In practice, VRADs are not installed in many older urban neighborhoods as AT&T prepares to abandon the fixed-line broadband market. AT&T Internet provides internet access to computers connected on-premises via Ethernet cabling or Wi-Fi from the included residential gateway or DSL modem.
AT&T Fiber, or as it is known AT&T Internet powered by Fiber, provides fiber to the home (FTTH) service in select markets. Historically a form of AT&T Fiber Internet launched in the fall of 2013 branded as GigaPower, and bundled with U-verse TV as "U-verse with GigaPower".
Basic, Express, Pro, Elite and Max (VDSL) are usually available for self-installation. Max (ADSL2+), Max Plus, and Max Turbo can be self-installed if only one jack is connected for DSL (through a splitter installed by a technician), or splitter-free if no landline shares the pair. Conditions where higher speeds are still attainable through filters or quality wiring to more than one jack occur less often.
AT&T announced Internet 45 service (formerly "Power") on August 26, 2013. Internet 45 required two conditioned line pairs (pair bond) and a Motorola NVG589 VDSL2+ Gateway. AT&T charges a service fee to condition and pair bond the lines and install a new gateway, plus additional monthly charges.
Name Download Speed (up to) Upload Speed (up to) Connection Notes Internet Basic 5 5 Mbit/s 1 Mbit/s VDSL or ADSL2+ Upload speeds up to 768 kbit/s with ADSL2+Internet 10 10 Mbit/s 1 Mbit/s VDSL or ADSL2+ Upload speeds up to 1 Mbit/s with ADSL2+Internet 25 25 Mbit/s 5 Mbit/s VDSL2 Internet 50 50 Mbit/s 10 Mbit/s VDSL2 Select markets (requires VDSL2 pair-bonding or 17 MHz)Internet 75 75 Mbit/s 20 Mbit/s VDSL2 Select markets (requires VDSL2 pair-bonding and 17 MHz)Internet 100 100 Mbit/s 20 Mbit/sVDSL2 Select markets (requires VDSL2 pair-bonding and 17 MHz)Internet 300 300 Mbit/s 300 Mbit/s GPON or XGS-PON Internet 500500 Mbit/s500 Mbit/sGPON or XGS-PONInternet 1000 1000 Mbit/s 1000 Mbit/sGPON or XGS-PON Internet 2000 2000 Mbit/s 2000 Mbit/sXGS-PON Internet 5000 5000 Mbit/s 5000 Mbit/sXGS-PON
Business internet AT&T Business Internet (ATTBI) is a provider of Internet access and services. ATTBI provides local access. It is available in 59 countries. Extended access features allow users to reach 147 additional countries.
ATTBI provides DSL services with speeds ranging from 25 to 500 Mbit/s, and fiber-optic services at up to 1 Gbit/s.
Equipment
Line equipment AT&T Internet uses the Alcatel-Lucent 7330 or 7340 Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM) shelf, also called a video-ready access device (VRAD), deployed either in a central office (CO) or to a neighborhood serving area interface (SAI). These models are both composed of circuit boards providing service, which are fed by fiber. FTTN (fiber to the node) systems use model 7330, which uses existing copper wiring to customers' homes,, p. 24. leading to distance limitations from the VRAD cabinet to the customer's home. The 7330 ISAM is an internet protocol DSL access multiplexer that supports VDSL and ADSL protocols.Alcatel-Lucent 7330 ISAM FTTN ANSI FTTP (fiber to the premises) systems use model 7340, mostly in areas such as new neighborhoods or large housing developments, where AT&T chooses to run fiber to the household, removing the distance limitations of copper. The 7340 then connects to a serving area interface, which distributes service to homes in the neighborhood, via a dual strand fiber, which then splits into 32 customer fiber pairs. The fiber pairs typically lead to a customer's residence at the network interface device.
The VRAD typically connects upstream to an Alcatel-Lucent 7450 Ethernet service switch in the central office hub, then to the headend video hub office.
Customer equipment AT&T provides the customer premises equipment (leased for a monthly fee, or purchased with a 1-year warranty), and includes a wireless router and modem, which they call a residential gateway (RG) or internet gateway. They also provide TV receivers made by Cisco (through Scientific Atlanta) and Arris (from the former Motorola cable division) (including standard receivers, wireless receivers, and DVR receivers).
Those eligible for triple play (TV, Internet, and Phone) will use a VDSL2 transport link which uses one of the following modems: 2Wire 3600 (Deprecated) 2Wire 3800 (Deprecated) 2Wire 3801 Pace 5031NV 2Wire iNID (which comes with the 2Wire i3812V for the outside unit, the iPSU (Intelligent Power Supply Unit) which powers the i3812V, and one or more i38HG for internet access via wireless or Ethernet connectivity inside the customer premises) (Deprecated) Arris NVG589 Arris NVG599 Pace 5268AC Arris BGW210
Along with the modems above, those eligible for fiber-to-the-home may have additional routers that could be used: Nokia BGW320 (Integrated ONT utilizing a SFP transceiver to provide optics) also has a standard ONT port
Those who are eligible for double play (Internet and Phone) only, and aren't serviced by fiber-to-the-home, will use an ADSL2+ transport type which uses one of the following modems: 2Wire 2701HGV-B (the model number must contain a "V", otherwise it will not function with the AT&T Internet platform) (Deprecated) Motorola 2210-02-1ATT (the AT&T Internet version of the 2210 and is black; the silver version is for PPPoE and not 802.1x) (Deprecated) Motorola NVG510 Pace 5168NV (Only RG that can support VOIP on a 1.5 Mbit/s profile and support bonded ADSL+2) Currently four devices support bonded pair: the 2Wire iNID, Arris NVG589 and NVG599, and Pace 5268AC. The Motorola NVG589 originally replaced the 2Wire iNID for all bonded pair installs. The NVG599 and 5268AC both have replaced the NVG589 and are used interchangeably. These three devices are capable of both ADSL2+ and VDSL.
All AT&T Internet transport types use 802.1X authentication. This means only equipment on AT&T's approved list works with the AT&T Internet service, as non-AT&T equipment cannot officially authenticate with AT&T's ADSL2+/VDSL2 DSLAMs and GPON/XGS-PON ONTs. Another side-effect of AT&T Internet's authentication protocol is the lack of bridge mode support (unlike standard DSL that uses PPPoE authentication, which is easily bridgeable). At best, 2Wire/Pace routers support DMZ+ mode, while Motorola/Arris devices support IP Passthrough. AT&T allows residential and business customers to pay for static IP addresses, which they support on all AT&T approved equipment (including the 2Wire/Pace and Motorola routers).
Some users on GPON and XGS-PON have unofficially replaced AT&T's router by bridging 802.1X packets from one, extracting the 802.1X certificates from one and implanting them on a third-party router, or using a third-party ONT by "cloning" the AT&T-provided ONT with its serial number and MAC address to an aftermarket unit. With this method, the third-party router is directly connected to AT&T's network, bypassing the NAT table of an AT&T gateway, and based on the method used, mimicking and/or disabling 802.1X authentication on third-party equipment. This allows AT&T users to have third-party router experience comparable to other ISPs such as cable ISPs, PPPoE-based ISPs, Verizon Fios and Google Fiber, albeit with extra steps and/or equipment.
When AT&T launched IP-DSL (ADSL2+, double play only), they installed connections with either the 2Wire 2701HGV-B or Motorola 2210 (pairing the latter with a Cisco Linksys E1000 for residential customers, or an EdgeMarc 250AEW for business customers). The 2Wire 2701HGV-B was limited to a top speed of 6 Mbit/s, while the Motorola 2210 was capable of higher speeds. In later installations, AT&T standardized on the Motorola NVG510, phasing out the other routers for new service installation.
When AT&T introduced the Internet 45 tier in 2013, installations were initially done with the iNID. AT&T later standardized on the Motorola NVG589, which supports pair-bonding for both ADSL2+ and VDSL2. AT&T also uses the NVG589 in some installations where the customer otherwise is too far from a node for service. Additionally, it supports an internal battery for those who subscribe to AT&T Phone service for battery backup during power failures. AT&T no longer supplies the battery to customers for any residential service.
Device Transport Type Static IP Wireless Support Bridge Mode Type 2Wire 3600/3800/3801 VDSL2ONT Yes 802.11b/g DMZ+ 2Wire 5031NV VDSL2Also known to work on ADSL2+ Yes 802.11b/g802.11n DMZ+ 2Wire 270HGV-B ADSL2+ Yes 802.11b/g DMZ+ 2Wire iNID VDSL2 Bonded Pair Yes 802.11b/g DMZ+ Motorola NVG510 ADSL2+ Yes 802.11b/g802.11n IP Passthrough Arris NVG589 ADSL2+VDSL2ADSL2+ Bonded PairVDSL2 Bonded PairONT Yes 802.11b/g802.11n IP Passthrough Arris NVG599 ADSL2+VDSL2ADSL2+ Bonded PairVDSL2 Bonded PairONT Yes 802.11b/gDual-Band 802.11n(2x2)/AC(3x3) IP Passthrough Motorola 2210 ADSL2+ No None IP Passthrough Pace 5268AC ADSL2+VDSL2ADSL2+ Bonded PairVDSL2 Bonded PairONT Yes 802.11b/gDual-Band 802.11n(2x2)/AC(4x4) DMZ+Arris BGW210 ADSL2+VDSL2ADSL2+ Bonded PairVDSL2 Bonded PairONT Yes 802.11b/gDual-Band 802.11n(3x3)/AC(4x4) IP Passthrough
History
Worldnet AT&T Worldnet, a dial-up Internet access service, was launched in 1996 to compete with AOL.
As of 2007, AT&T Internet Services was a trade name for five companies owned by AT&T that provided Internet service under the AT&T Yahoo! name:
Ameritech Interactive Media Services (ameritech.net) Pacific Bell Internet Services, comprising Pacific Bell (pacbell.net) and Nevada Bell (nvbell.net) Prodigy, which had been acquired by SBC in 2001 (prodigy.net) SNET Diversified Group for customers located within Connecticut. Following AT&T's announcement that it would sell Southern New England Telephone and SNET America to Frontier Communications, SNET Diversified Group was merged into AT&T Corp. Southwestern Bell Internet Services (swbell.net, sbcglobal.net)
As of 2008, BellSouth Telecommunications (bellsouth.net) also provided AT&T FastAccess Internet service in the Southeastern United States. AT&T assigned the att.net domain and AT&T Yahoo! Internet service in the AT&T Southeast (BellSouth) Region.
New e-mail addresses from these companies typically ended in "att.net", with older addresses retaining the domains assigned to them by e-mail services provided by Maillennium, a system developed by AT&T Labs.