AT&T will now let you pay to skip the wireless waiting line

AT&T has announced a new service called AT&T Turbo, allowing customers to pay for prioritized data on their wireless connections. Launching on May 2, the feature is designed to enhance the experience of real-time activities such as gaming, live video streaming, and video calls, especially in congested network situations.

By subscribing to Turbo, AT&T customers gain network priority when network traffic is high. This could translate to significant benefits in crowded areas like sporting events, where many people vying for bandwidth can lead to slower speeds. Turbo users would theoretically experience less lag, buffering, and faster connectivity compared to standard AT&T customers.

“We know customers want more control of their experience, especially while on the go, and AT&T Turbo answers that call by putting it all at our customers’ fingertips,” said Erin Scarborough, senior vice president of consumer product for AT&T.

The Turbo service will be an add-on priced at $7 per month per line for those using eligible plans. Customers can easily activate or deactivate the feature through their online account management or the myATT app. While it aims to provide smoother performance in congested areas or during peak traffic times, the benefits might be less apparent for regular users under normal network conditions.

AT&T’s Turbo launch comes as the FCC has reinstated Net Neutrality rules, which mandate that internet service providers treat all data traffic equally. AT&T maintains that Turbo complies with Net Neutrality since it enhances speed and responsiveness across all data traffic without favoring specific applications or websites.