AT&T vs. Lumos Internet Providers Compared

AT&T Fiber internet is affordably priced given its high quality and dependability

AT&T offers reasonable fiber pricing with first-tier fiber internet plans currently starting around $55/month. AT&T won’t always offer you the lowest price for fiber in your area. But AT&T will offer you the low end of industry standard prices. For those prices, you’ll often get higher internet speeds from AT&T than from the competition. You will get good value for the internet speed you’re buying. AT&T Fiber’s advantage is that their fiber connections give you equal download and upload speeds. So, even if AT&T Fiber and a cable provider offer you the same price for a speed they both call “300 Mbps,” you will not be getting the same speeds from fiber and cable providers. All cable internet may have high download speeds, but has much slower upload speeds (usually around 10-20 Mbps). AT&T Fiber will give you the same upload speed as your download speed for your monthly price. Having upload speed equal to your download speed can make a big difference for real-time activities such as video streaming and gaming. Fiber also offers low latency, which you’ll see in a ping test. So overall, you are getting more for your money with a fiber internet plan, even when fiber and cable plans advertise the same prices and download speeds. There’s one drawback to AT&T’s pricing. AT&T’s copper-wired service (DSL/ IPBB) is priced at around $55, the same as its first-tier fiber plan. This price is higher by Mbps given that copper service is much slower and less reliable than fiber. We hope AT&T will consider lowering the price of its copper service to give better value to DSL/IPBB customers.

Attractive pricing for Lumos Fiber plans and better DSL pricing than competitors

Lumos does not emphasize its DSL offerings in its promotions. The ISP is working hard to replace DSL networks with fiber service. Nonetheless, you may live in a service area where Lumos can only offer you DSL. If that is the case, your pricing will be $34/month for DSL, which is pretty good considering most DSL plans from other providers start at $50. Still, what most people are going to want from Lumos Fiber is… fiber. Even solid DSL will not come near the speed and reliability of fiber internet. Your fiber plan offers from Lumos Fiber will be appealing. For fiber’s symmetrical speeds, you will get 200 Mbps for $40/month. That price will not get an automatic hike after a year. It’s simply the standard price. That is a very good deal! Most other providers that even approach that monthly price are offering slower speeds such as 50 or 100 Mbps. In Lumos’s higher speed tiers, you will also get attractive promotional offers for a year, then a minimal price hike of $10 after that first year. This increase is far less that the $20-30 price increases you’ll often see from other fiber or cable providers. For example, the Lumos 500 Mbps fiber plan will start at $50/month for 12 months, then move to $60 standard pricing. The 1 Gig plan will begin at $70/month for 12 months, then increase to the standard $80 rate. Lumos Fiber also has a 2 Gig plan available in select areas starting at $100/month. These are great internet plan prices. All the Lumos Fiber levels are $5-10 below AT&T Fiber’s monthly prices, and AT&T is usually thought to have competitive fiber plans. As for a comparison with major cable providers, Lumos Fiber comes out way ahead. Spectrum’s standard cable internet rate for 1 Gig download/35 Mbps upload is $120/month. Need we say more? Lumos Fiber’s price is 30% lower than the Spectrum price, and Lumos is also offering a superior speed at symmetrical 1 Gig download/upload speeds. When you consider that Lumos also does not require data caps or annual contracts for its plans, it’s easy to see why users like Lumos Fiber.

Decades of growth give AT&T reliable infrastructure and sophisticated operations

As the third-largest ISP in the United States, AT&T has massive corporate size and history on its side. AT&T’s home internet serves over 100 metro areas in 22 states, with over 19 million fiber internet passings [1] [2]. AT&T provides strong infrastructure and tech support. With 99% reliability for your internet connection, AT&T Fiber service is less likely to be disrupted by outages or slowdowns than many other internet providers [3]. AT&T’s reliability rating is higher than some other ISPs because AT&T customers do not have to work with internet data caps. Many internet service providers have soft data caps. When you hit your data allowance for the month, your ISP will throttle your internet. Your internet speed will slow down to the point that only the simplest email tasks will be possible. You won’t be able to do complex web browsing, streaming, or your other usual internet tasks. In other words, your internet will become unreliable when you hit the limits of your data caps. AT&T and other providers with no data caps give you peace of mind because you won’t suddenly lose most of your internet functionality in the third week of the month. Unlimited data is a major bonus for your internet connection’s reliability.

Lumos Fiber offers up to 2 Gigs symmetrical fiber speeds

Lumos has been building fiber infrastructure as quickly as possible, often “overbuilding” fiber in areas where they once offered DSL [4]. As usual, fiber internet outperforms every other internet technology. With Lumos Fiber plans, you will get symmetrical speeds that allow you to use multiple devices for HD streaming or real-time gaming. Videoconferencing will be smooth and glitch-free. If you have to upload large files for work, fiber internet can do it in seconds where DSL might take 30 minutes. That brings us to how your internet performance will differ if you are in an area where Lumos can only offer DSL. Your download speed with a Lumos DSL plan will vary from 15 Mbps to about 30 Mbps depending on your location, while upload speeds usually won’t top 3 Mbps. If your only alternative is satellite internet or fixed wireless, then you might consider DSL. But if you have a choice of a cable internet provider, cable will probably be your best option until fiber internet reaches your area.

AT&T offers no equipment fees, optional self-installation, extra cybersecurity features

As long as you have AT&T internet service, you will also get to use an internet gateway at no charge [4]. (This gateway is a modem/router combo known as AT&T Smart Wi-Fi.) Your plan may also include a free Wi-Fi extender depending on your terms. If you order AT&T Fiber, technicians will install an ONT (optical network terminal) and a fiber jack or ethernet jack. Professional installation from AT&T will cost you $99 for either copper internet or fiber installation. If you are planning to order copper-based internet (DSL/IPBB) and there is already a dual-port phone jack in your home, AT&T can mail you a self-installation kit at no charge. You can even self-install fiber internet if you are comfortable with a wall installation and following technical instructions. AT&T customers have access to the AT&T ActiveArmor internet security app. The app will block fraud calls and guard risky Wi-Fi connections. For a small extra monthly charge, ActiveArmor offers advanced functions such as Identity Monitoring and Reverse Number Lookup. AT&T also offers a Smart Home Manager app to manage your Wi-Fi and all smart home devices and check for outages.

Monthly equipment rental fee optional if you use personal modem/router

Lumos charges about $10 a month to supply you with a gateway (modem/router combo). Though Lumos allows you to use your own modem/router, you should first be sure your device is compatible with their service. Like most providers, Lumos can’t guarantee tech support for customers’ personal modems and routers. If you get Lumos Total Home Wi-Fi, you will also have access to an app that allows you to manage your Wi-Fi network, including parental controls for internet access. Lumos will charge a $75 installation fee for some plans, but your installation fee may be waived for certain promotions or plans.

AT&T Customer Service provides 24/7 tech support and ranks #1

AT&T has a robust customer support framework, including community forums, live chat, and phone assistance. Tech support is available 24/7, which can be a lifesaver if you work or study from home. Billing and account support are available from 7 AM to 9 PM CT Monday through Friday, and 8 AM to 9 PM Saturday. Those Saturday hours are especially valuable if you work Monday to Friday and can’t squeeze in personal business during the week. In 2022, AT&T ranked#1 for Customer Satisfaction in Residential Internet Service (South and West regions) with J.D. Power and Associates [5]. AT&T also ranked #2 in the North Central region.

N/A (too new to score)

As we mentioned in the summary, Lumos Fiber is too new and small to have accumulated any national scores from customer satisfaction surveys such as J.D. Power. There isn’t even much of an internet footprint for customer reviews since the merger occurred in summer 2022. For that reason, we will not assign Lumos Fiber an official score for customer satisfaction until there’s more user feedback online. However, reporting from our staff’s experience, Lumos Fiber is quite popular with customers in North Carolina. Taking a straw poll on a neighborhood association page or on Nextdoor.com will often result in your neighbors telling you that Lumos Fiber is the best ISP in town. Do remember that ISP satisfaction can vary widely from one location to another. Customers of the former North State in North Carolina may have a different experience from customers of the former Lumos Networks in Virginia. But thus far, reports for Lumos Fiber seem positive. We’ll update you with more information as the company establishes a track record in its new form.