Overall: 2 ½ Stars
Judging by our readers' responses, AT&T offers middle-of-the-road performance at average access prices with decent reliability and customer service. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that our readers gave it a middle-of-the-road overall score of 2 ½ (2.57) stars out of five, which is close to the actual average of each category.
"AT&T's network is very reliable and reasonably priced, though it won't set any speed records any time soon," said one respondent, who summed up our findings brilliantly. AT&T isn't the fastest Internet access out there. However, it is more widely available than competing broadband companies in a significant number of regions of the country.
As a result of that, many readers indicated a lack of other options, sounding despondent and accepting of less-than-spectacular speeds, support and pricing.
"[I have] slow upload speeds despite the plan, pricing is a bit high compared to other ISPs and support isn't always the best, but it's the only one in my area," said one AT&T customer, who gave the company decently high marks (all but performance was rated three stars or more) despite the dissatisfied tone of the comment.
Our overall survey results for AT&T show a split decision with our readers, with some praising the service in all facets and others detesting their ISP, and still others who feel the company shines in some aspects but could use work in some others. At 2 ½ stars, we seem to have a decent example of a company that does "OK" by its customers, with as many negatives weighing against positives, balancing the proverbial scale evenly.
Conclusion
Our survey provided a lot a useful data on what our readers thought about AT&T's Internet services. It should not be taken for more than it is: a reader survey with a pool of 271 helpful participants that provided a small snapshot of what our community currently thinks about AT&T's Internet service. Here are the full results of the survey, with each category labeled with the results of the most and least important factors when deciding on an ISP, according to the surveyed readers (one being most important, four being the least):
| Performance (4) | Price (2) | Reliability (3) | Support (1) | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★★ ½ (2.54) | ★★ ¼ (2.32) | ★★★ ¼ (3.17) | ★★ ¾ (2.79) | ★★ ½ (2.57) |
A big thanks goes out to everyone who participated in our survey. Let us know what you think by leaving your comments below, and be sure to check out our next ISP review, which will take a look at one of the largest cable Internet providers in the country, with the most number of our readers responding to the survey: Comcast.
Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware. Follow him on Twitter.
