Is AT&T Fiber upgrade really free?
AT&T Fiber is AT&T’s broadband service that offers Internet through fiber technology and offers speeds up to 1Gbps. It has several speed service classes starting with 300 Mbps. Recently, AT&T Internet has been reaching out to many of its internet subscribers with an offer to switch to AT&T Fiber for $0. However, is this a genuine offer or are they tricking people into migrating from the older service to a faster fiber-optic connection? Now let us analyze the provisions of the legislation in question.
When AT&T says you can upgrade for free, what they want to tell you is that there is no extra cost for equipment or installation when you switch to the service plan of 1Gbps. It is said that these charges should be approximately $99 for installation and $10 for equipment per month. Thus in this sense – free from these typical charges – the upgrade may effectively be described as so.
But, when people look at the fine print it becomes evident that despite the upgrade being free, your monthly bill will still go up if you take the 1Gbps speed offer. This means that if you currently subscribe to AT&T Fiber Internet services and want to move up to 1Gbps fiber, your bill will be upped between $20 and $60 more per month. This means for the entire year using the high-speed upgraded service, you would be charged $214 more.
Nevertheless, customers can upgrade to other fiber plans that have a lower internet speed such as 300Mbsp, which may help to reduce the impact on your monthly expenses. However, these lower-speed packages will most likely come with some slight rise in monthly charges. Also, the longer you have a 300Mbps connection rather than subscribing to 1Gbps now and then switching later, you may have to purchase equipment and hire professional installation services later on while the current offer does not require those expenses.
Monthly equipment rental is also another thing that you should know is that your monthly equipment rental fee will vary depending on which AT&T gateway device you choose with fiber. The current Wi-Fi 6 gateways are the most expensive of all the models with the rental fee being $15 per month while some of the earlier models are $10 per month only. This equipment rental fee can compound your monthly expenses with fiber service and could be a major factor.
All in all – it is true, that AT&T does not require upfront installation and equipment fees for fiber upgrades at present – which is advantageous in a way since it does allow the customer to save money in the short run. But on the same note, agreeing to take the 1Gbps upgrade will result in a rise of monthly internet charges by $20 or more in most cases. However, the $10 increase is not exorbitant but it means that the fast fiber service is not completely free as the adverts or the offer details might lead prospective customers to believe. The idea of the amount of money that is to be spent on your monthly internet is wiser when determining which of the classes is better for upgrading.
For some who can afford to pay $25 on top of their current monthly fee, they would still be willing to do it to gain a significantly faster internet speed. But for those who want to cut down the monthly bills, it would be wise to switch to a cheaper but still high-speed fiber 300 Mbps option that will let you retain those speed boosts and won’t hit as hard on your monthly expenses. Either way – fiber internet service gives one substantial boost in bandwidth and reliability. But make sure to consider all the possibilities before subscribing to the 1Gbps tier thinking there are no changes in the price at all. Do not solely focus on the immediate costs of availing a certain service but weigh it against the expenses that may be incurred in the long run to get the most suitable one for the home’s internet services and price range.
Upgrade to faster, more reliable AT&T Fiber Internet today! Call us at +1 844-905-5002 and get connected with speeds that keep you ahead.
