AT&T’s Fiber 1 Gig internet plan is the first of their ‘hyper-gig’ plans. At 1000 Mbps, we’re getting into ultrafast territory. But do you need it?
1000 Mbps is more than enough for a large family or even a medium-sized workplace. So, most people could easily be content with a much slower plan than this. However, there are a few things about AT&T Fiber 1 Gig that make it worth it.
We’ve been researching this plan extensively to see its worth it for our readers. And, we’ve been comparing it with some other fiber plans from different competitors in order to find out how competitive it is.
And today, we’re going to be sharing our findings. Let’s go!
What is the AT&T 1 GIG Speed Plan?
The AT&T Fiber 1 Gig plan offers superfast 1000 Mbps download and upload speeds. It’s as fast as AT&T recommends for any home users. In fact, most home internet consumers don’t need anywhere near this kind of speed.
But if you share the network with a lot of hungry internet users and like to download large files as quickly as possible, this could be the speed for you.
It’s competitively priced and it comes with some cool perks. Plus, it’s super flexible in that there’s no minimum contract term. You can stay for as little as one month.
AT&T’s Fiber network is the largest in the US right now so if you’re living in an area where it is available, we definitely recommend considering it!
Do You Need 1000 Mbps?
Generally, a 1000 Mbps download speed is recommended for medium office spaces. This kind of speed is best for office use, but that’s not to say it should be ruled out by anyone at home.
You probably don’t need 1000 Mbps at home, even if you are planning on sharing the network with a lot of people. Most households would be able to live quite comfortably with 200 Mbps or so.
But, if you can get the right deal on a 1000 Mbps plan (and AT&T Fiber 1 Gig could well be that), then why not? You’d definitely not have to worry about streaming, downloading etc. again!
AT&T 1 GIG Overview
To help give an insight into the capabilities of 1000 Mbps in practice, here’s a look at the kinds of things you’d be able to do with it at home.
Disclaimer: the following numbers are based on calculations only. It should be noted that the real numbers are likely to be a little lower than these. That’s because of other factors such as the power of the router, the distance your devices are from it and other connected devices running background activities.
Anyhow, check out our findings below. They’ll certainly give you a better idea of how fast 1000 Mbps is!
Streaming movies and music
You’d be able to supply online entertainment to the masses with 1000 Mbps.
Take Netflix, for example. Their highest quality of streaming, Ultra HD, requires a 25 Mbps bandwidth [1]. So on paper, you’d be able to stream 40 movies and TV shows at the same time at this speed. Easy!
In the case of the regular HD quality (which still looks great!), you’ll only need a 5 Mbps bandwidth. So with that, you could technically stream 200 flicks.
Downloading files
One of the main appeals of picking up a fast internet plan at home is that you’ll be able to download even the largest of files in the blink of an eye.
You won’t ever have to wait long to get your hands on any photo albums, software applications or other documents.
Adobe Photoshop CS6, for example, has a massive file size of 1.02 GB for Mac OS. At slower speeds, this could be pretty boring to wait for but with 1000 Mbps, you’d be ready to install it in just over 8 seconds!
Making calls and working online
Professionals working from home will often need faster internet speeds than casual users. A big part of that is online video meetings, which can be very demanding on both your download and upload speed.
In fact, Zoom’s upload speed requirement for its highest quality video call setting is larger than its download speed requirement. You’ll need an upload speed of 3.8 Mbps for a single call [2].
This is where AT&T Fiber 1 Gig comes into its element. It’s one of the few plans out there where the upload speed cap is the same as the download speed cap. So, it has one of the highest upload speeds out there.
With the 1000 Mbps upload speed, you’d be able to make 263 calls at the same time! This makes the plan perfect for an office environment as well.
AT&T 1 GIG Cost
You might think an internet plan of this kind of speed would be immensely expensive. And sure, it’s pricey. But it’s really not as bad as you might have expected.
AT&T Fiber 1 Gig costs users $80 plus taxes depending on the area they live in [3]. That’s very competitively priced. While there are slightly cheaper fiber plans out there for this speed, there are also more expensive ones.
Users in some states (Nevada, Texas and Ohio) will also have to pay a ‘Monthly State Recovery Cost Charge’. The amount varies between the three states, so check online before you sign up while you consider your budget.
You’ll also be able to claim a $200 gift card when you sign up if you haven’t been a customer of AT&T before. If you’re worried about being hit with a big fee from your current provider for bailing out of the plan early, then don’t. AT&T will take care of that too.
AT&T 1 GIG Contract lengths
One of the most exciting things about fiber is that most providers don’t demand that you sign up for a minimum contract length. Unlike with regular wireless internet, where users will often have to commit to 6, 12 or even 24 months, there’s no fixed length.
The same is true of AT&T Fiber 1 Gig. You can sign up for this plan for as little as one month. This is great if you’re not sure whether the speed is going to be enough (or too much) for you. Simply trial it out and move on if it’s not working out.
AT&T 1 GIG Data cap
There’s no need to worry about how much internet you’re using on the AT&T Fiber 1 Gig plan. The amount of data is completely limitless, meaning you can binge watch Netflix or download the biggest files as much as you like.
AT&T 1 GIG Additional costs
Some fiber providers will request that their customers pay an equipment hire fee for the router and any other bits of hardware needed. Not AT&T. They’ll let you have the equipment for free [4] although they might charge you a fine if you fail to return it when you part ways on the contract.
The only additional cost you might have to pay is an installation fee. The amount of this will depend on the infrastructure in your home, but it will never be any more than $99.
AT&T 1 GIG and AT&T Wireless
A lot of AT&T customers are bundling their cell phone plans together with their fiber plans to save some more money. So how does that work?
Unlike Verizon Fios, for example, there are no direct ‘bundles’ that can save you money each month. However, there are some cool deals.
For example, you can get a $300 reward card when you sign up for AT&T broadband if you’re already a Wireless customer. You can also get $250 in bill credits if you’re a fiber customer and you convert your phone to AT&T Wireless. Not bad!
AT&T Fiber Locations
As you read this, AT&T will be frantically trying to roll out their fiber internet to as much of the US as possible. However, at the time of writing, there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Only about a third of the entire area AT&T covers with all internet will have access to fiber right now. It’s going to be a little while until AT&T can make up their whole map as a whole new level of infrastructure is required to implement it in any given area.
The locations are all in California or across the East of the US, but never as far as New York City or Pennsylvania. The fiber there is controlled by different providers.
AT&T 1 GIG vs AT&T Internet
If you live in an AT&T area where fiber isn’t available, you’ll need to go for option b: AT&T Internet. This is the branding for AT&T’s regular, fiber-free wireless internet. It’s not bad, but it’s certainly no fiber.
Realistically, if you get the chance to go for fiber, it will almost always be the best option. You might think that opting for AT&T Wireless internet will save you money (even at the cost of slower speeds), but it’s often a very similar price to the fiber.
The AT&T Internet 75 plan, for example, costs $55 per month. That’s the same price at the AT&T Fiber 300 plan. Not only does it offer less value for money in this sense, but there’s a data cap of 1 TB per month here. That could be an issue for some people.
Plus, AT&T Internet has a minimum contract term of 12 months. Fiber could well become available in your area during that time period…
In the future, we hope to see AT&T Internet being swallowed by AT&T Fiber when fiber costs the entire network. It just might be quite a few years before that becomes the case.
Router and Other Kit
There are a few extra cool things that AT&T throw in with their 1 Gig fiber plan to sweeten the deal. As a customer of this plan, you’ll be entitled to all of the following.
AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot
If you sign up for an AT&T Fiber plan, you’ll be able to continue online after you’ve left the home. AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot is a cloud Wi-Fi service available across a large percentage of the US map.
And as a customer of AT&T, you’ll get it for free. Just connect to it once, log in with your AT&T logins and it will automatically connect to the network on your smartphone (or any other device) as and when it finds it.
AT&T Gateway
The actual router you get from AT&T isn’t just a router. It’s a modem/router combo, so you won’t need to buy any additional hardware to get online.
The router is pretty good and has reasonable range. And if you want to extend the range, you can add AT&T-branded Mesh satellites to it for $10 per month each.
That’s not bad value, but it might make more sense for you to pick up a Mesh system of your own if you have a home that’s 3000 sq ft in size or larger. For some help in finding one, check out our guide to the best ones in the world right now.
AT&T ActiveArmor
The AT&T team takes internet security seriously. So, they provide all their customers with free antivirus technology in the form of their own tool, ActiveArmor.
It’s regularly updated to protect users against the latest threats, helping bring customers that extra peace of mind.
Network security is indeed serious business. If your network isn’t protected, it could put all your personal information under threat. Plus, it could be harmful to the devices you have connected to it.
AT&T Smart Home Manager app
AT&T customers will also be able to take control of their home network through their smartphone thanks to the Smart Home Manager app. It’s free on the respective app store of your device, and is definitely worth downloading.
This app will allow you to set up the connection in the first place, control all the settings and features of the network and change the network name and password. It makes life a lot easier, and is definitely preferable to going through the network config page in your browser.
AT&T 1 GIG vs Other AT&T Fiber Plans
1 Gig of internet is fast. In fact it’s so fast, we’d say that any home users would be wasting money if they were to go any faster than this. Most users at home could be better off saving some money by going for one of the lower AT&T Fiber Speeds.
Or perhaps you’re running a medium-sized (or large) business and want an extra bit of internet power. There are some faster, but more expensive, plans available for you too. Here’s a look at the rest of the options from AT&T:
| Plan | Price | Who It’s Best For |
| AT&T Internet 300 | $55 | Large families and small businesses |
| AT&T Internet 500 | $65 | Large families and small businesses |
| AT&T Internet 1 Gig | $80 | Medium-sized businesses |
| AT&T Internet 2 Gig | $110 | Larger businesses |
| AT&T Internet 5 Gig | $180 | Super intensive work among many |
All of these plans have the same terms and conditions as the ones we have discussed in this review today. The only difference is that you get a $150 gift card instead of a $200 one with the 300 and 500 plans.
Plus, the faster plans (2 Gig and 5 Gig) are much more limited in their availability. Just enter your address on the AT&T website to find out what’s available for you.
AT&T 1 GIG Speed vs The Competition
| Provider & Plan | Speed | Price per month | Who It’s Best For |
| AT&T Internet 1 Gig | 1 Gbps | $80 | Medium-sized businesses |
| Verizon Fios Gigabit | 880/940 Mbps | $90 | Medium-sized businesses |
| Google Fiber 1000 | 1 Gbps | $70 | Medium-sized businesses |
| Windstream Kinetic 1 Gig | 1 Gbps | $67 | Medium-sized businesses |
So far, we’ve been claiming that AT&T Fiber 1 Gig offers good value for money, but how do we prove that to you? Well, checking out the competition is the best way to do that.
Take a look at Verizon Fios. They’re second in the rankings for fiber availability by area, and they’re very close with their pricing and other plan factors.
However, with the 1 Gig plan, AT&T beats Verizon Fios by $10 per month. Their 1 Gig plan comes in at $80 (although, you can save $15 with particular cell plans from them, and you can waive the $99 setup fee if you order the plan online).
But realistically, you won’t find many areas where these two providers crossover. Verizon Fios tends to cover most of the East coast, including New York City,
In fact, if you live out in the countryside instead of in the city, you’ll probably see different fiber brands altogether, if at all. One such provider that covers a lot more rural areas is Windstream Kinetic.
And they offer great value. Kinetic’s 1 Gig plan costs just $67 per month, that’s $3 cheaper than AT&T with the same plan terms.
Overall, AT&T offers some of the best value for money in terms of the competition. Although if you live in an area where you actually get to choose between fiber providers, you’re one of the lucky minority.
Conclusion on AT&T Fiber 1 Gig
The AT&T Fiber 1 Gig plan is the most popular in the US right now. While that’s mainly because it covers more area, it is one of the best in terms of value for money as well.
The price is competitive. Plus, you get all those additional benefits like free Wi-Fi hotspots and enhanced network security. These are things that a lot of other providers don’t even think about!
Anyone living in an area that provides AT&T Fiber right now is in luck. Just remember that you don’t necessarily need to splash the extra cash to go for the 1 Gig plan. Many won’t see much benefit over this plan compared to the 300 Mbps or the 500 Mbps ones.
