Best Reviewed
Mobile Broadband
- Best mobile broadband Verizon Mobile Broadband *Est. $20
- 4G mobile broadband with no data caps, but limited coverage Clearwire Clear Mobile Broadband *Est. $20
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- Free Wi-Fi with some plans
- Fast 3G network in some older tests
- Unimpressive 4G speeds
- Unclear where 4G coverage is
- Confusing plans
- Lower MB limits than other carriers
- Low ratings for customer care
Once praised as the fastest 3G network, AT&T DataConnect has fallen so far behind on 4G that no tests recommend it. Verizon Mobile Broadband (*Est. $20 to $80 per month) proves much faster overall in 4G tests, and a couple of experts point out that AT&T doesn't make it clear exactly where its 4G is available. AT&T says it is rolling out a 4G LTE network (the same technology Verizon uses) in five cities in summer 2011 -- Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio -- but its existing HSPA+ network doesn't impress reviewers.
AT&T also gets low marks for technical support and customer service in three separate, major consumer surveys. Monthly data limits are lower than other carriers', and some reviewers find the plans confusing. You'll get different prices and data limits depending on what type of device you have, and overage charges are all over the map. For example, if you own an iPad, you can get the cheapest 250 MB plan (*Est. $15 per month), but you'll pay more than $60 per GB if you go over your data limit. A 4G laptop user can get a 5 GB plan (*Est. $50 per month) and pay only $10 per GB over the limit, but oddly, the same-size 3G plan costs $10 more per month and charges more than $50 per GB over the limit. AT&T won't sell you a bigger plan, unlike the 10 GB and unlimited plans you can get with other carriers.
The best coverage of AT&T mobile broadband comes from PC World, which conducts a detailed 13-city test of the four major 4G networks. Using both laptops and smartphones, testers evaluate download speeds and signal reliability in at least 20 locations in each city. Mobile-Broadband-Reviews.com's reviews are thorough, critically judging all aspects of each carrier's mobile broadband offerings. Laptop Magazine's 4G report card is also test-based, and PC World and Gizmodo.com both publish older tests of 3G coverage. Ratings at ConsumerReports.org, PCMag.com and J.D. Power and Associates are based on large-scale customer surveys.
Our Sources
AT&T's mobile broadband ranks third among the big four carriers for 4G download speed, according to this extensive 13-city test. AT&T especially lags in the laptop-modem tests, where Verizon Mobile Broadband proves more than twice as fast.
Review: 4G Wireless Speed Tests: Which Is Really the Fastest?, Mark Sullivan, March 13, 2011
This in-depth review analyzes every aspect of AT&T's 4G service. Speeds are so slow that the reviewer doesn't consider it 4G, plans are confusing and AT&T won't come right out and say exactly where you can get 4G coverage.
Review: AT&T 4G -- 2011 Mobile Broadband Review, Marc Aarons, March 19, 2011
3. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org compares AT&T with Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. Each provider is rated for voice and data service, as well as customer support.
Review: Cell Phones and Services, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, Jan. 2011
4. Laptop MagazineDetails/Subscribe
Laptop Magazine gives AT&T a grade of "F" for its 4G service. Mark Spoonauer says AT&T's so-called 4G phones upload more slowly than the 3G iPhone in his tests in New York and New Jersey, and AT&T doesn't make it clear to customers exactly where faster 4G speeds are available.
Review: 4G Report Card: Who's Winning, Who's Failing, Mark Spoonauer, March 18, 2011
5. Gizmodo.com
In this 3G test, T-Mobile's new HSPA+ network outruns AT&T. However, AT&T is advertising that it has HSPA+, and HSPA+ is recognized as 4G.
Review: Who Really Has the Fastest 3G Network?, John Herrman and Kyle VanHemert, March 24, 2010
AT&T wins this older 3G test, beating the other major carriers' speeds on average. This test is structured like PC World's latest test (above), which measures 4G speeds in 13 cities.
Review: AT&T Roars Back in PCWorld's Second 3G Wireless Performance Test, Mark Sullivan, Feb. 22, 2010
AT&T places last in this reader survey, behind U.S. Cellular, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. The survey centers on the mobile carriers' voice service, but the scores for customer service and tech support (AT&T places last in both) pertain to data plans, too.
Review: Cellular Service Providers: Contract Providers, Ben Gottesman, Sept. 7, 2010
AT&T and Sprint tie for the lowest customer satisfaction ratings in J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 study. Both score below average, while T-Mobile and Verizon get good ratings.
Review: 2011 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study, Editors of J.D. Power and Associates, March 2011
Mobile Broadband Runners Up:
7 picks including: Laptop Magazine, MSNBC…
2 picks including: Laptop Magazine, PC World…
