AT&T fixed wireless service is now available in 44 counties across rural parts of Georgia, the company announced today. The wireless broadband service, a primary AT&T technology to reach underserved and unserved communities, is now available in 18 states nationwide. Georgia was actually identified as the launch state for the service, so this is an expansion of availability there.
AT&T fixed wireless service provides 10/1 Mbps speeds and is funded in part by the FCC’s Connect America Fund. AT&T plans to eventually reach 1.1 million locations by 2020 with the wireless service, and 400K by the end of 2017, the company noted in a press release.
AT&T uses its existing 4G LTE tower footprint to provide the fixed wireless service, which utilizes licensed WCS (Band 30) 2.3 GHz spectrum.
The service isn’t cheap. It’s priced at $60/month with a contract ($70 without). Directv and mobile services can be bundled in for additional savings. The service has broadband usage caps of 160 GB per month, with additional 50 GB increments of data charged at $10 per month. There is a $99 installation fee that can be waived if bundled with Directv.
In addition to Georgia, AT&T fixed wireless is available in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
Wow, this means that AT&T's Fixed Wireless service is now available "nationwide"!
PArdon me, but this just seems like a real breakdown in policy. Why would the FCC subsidize a poor performing broadband service (10 Mbps) that costs $70/month to a population that probably can't afford it?