ISP Review: AT&T High Speed Internet

The name AT&T is synonymous with phone service and in recent years this has expanded to include not only traditional phone service, but cellular offerings (including an exclusive deal with the incredibly popular iPhone) and DSL as well. Customers can bundle services together or subsribe to each individually depending on their needs.

AT&T claims to offer some of the speediest DSL service out there, competing with providers that supply cable rather than DSL service. AT&T's top plans, while somewhat pricey (though not as pricey as cable), offer customers the chance to enjoy speeds of up to 6 mbps right on their DSL lines.

In addition to speed, AT&T offers a few additional perks for signing up for its services. Those with Pro or Elite plans will enjoy free access to AT&T's wi-fi network no matter where they are and many plans offer free (after rebate) DSL modems and routers when signing up. Of course, the 11 email accounts that come with the service, unlimited photo storage, the ability to talk on the phone and browse at the same time and security programs that help monitor spam, viruses and what your kids are looking at aren't too shabby as far as benefits go either.

The high speed service is easy to install and most customers should be able to do it themselves with the help of the CD-ROM provided by AT&T that walks them through step-by-step. This can be a big savings over other companies which charge for installation and requires little advanced computer knowledge on the part of the customer a big bonus for some that lack computer skills.

Customers who are often on the go will enjoy not only the free wi-fi offered nationwide but dial up access from anywhere when traveling so they'll never have be without the net no matter where they're staying.

Those committed to using DSL but who want to ensure a speedy and convenient connection will be well served by the service offered by AT&T. Partnered with Yahoo!, users can easily create a personalized homepage, check their email and navigate the Web through their AT&T accounts.

Some users of AT&T have complained about poor customer service, with long waits to get help fixing problems, disconnecting service and other issues. While this isn't the case for every user, it's something to look out for when considering signing up for DSL service with AT&T and for many, the perks of the service outweight this drawback.

With an easy to use interface, lots of features and high speeds available over a DSL connection AT&T's service is a forerunner in the ISP game and can be a great value to those looking to get connected.

• Prices range from $19.95 to $35.00 a month depending on the speed of the connection.