AT&T pushing DSL subscribers to “Internet Air” in the Reno area, but is their network up to the task yet?

In late 2023, AT&T began notifying internet customers in the Reno area that are not currently eligible for Fiber Internet, about the availability of AT&T Internet Air. The targeted customers include subscribers to DSL and former “U-verse” branded Internet service.

AT&T advertises “as of March 2024, Internet Air delivers typical download speeds between 75-225 Mbps and upload speeds between 10-30 Mbps”. But in order to deliver the advertised speeds on a consistent basis, their wireless cell site near your location needs to be upgraded with the extra 5G+ bandwidth that can support multiple users in your neighbor. As of this writing in May 2024, AT&T has only upgraded 19 of their 60 cell sites in the Reno area. This map shows the cell sites that have been or are currently in the process of being upgraded.

Therefore, before acting upon AT&Ts offer to “upgrade” your service, for best results make sure that you live near a cell site that’s been upgraded to 5G+. Also it is suggested to perform some speed tests near various windows around your home to check download, upload and latency speeds – and compare with your current internet service.