AT&T has announced it plans to stream cable TV over the Internet in the fourth quarter of this year via DirecTV products. It will allow subscribers to stream content to devices with a wired or wireless web connectivity including smartphones, tablets, PCs smart TVs, and set top boxes.    

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The major United States telecom has shared the new services will not require an existing DirecTV service plan, satellite dish, or set top box. There are also no contract requirements or visits from cable technicians.

AT&T's new services will be like using Netflix. Subscribers will just have to download the app, sign up, key in a debit/credit card number, and then start streaming a TV show or movie.

The new packages will be included in three levels. DirecTV Now will have the most content including most of the offerings for DirecTV today and will work on big-screen TVs.

Next, DirecTV Mobile will have a lower price and only be available to all smartphones owners including those running iOS and Android, and all carriers.

Finally, DirecTV Preview is a free, limited-content option that will be ad-supported. As its name suggests the goal of the plan might be to get customers to buy bigger bundles.   

AT&T has not revealed information about which channels or content packages will be available for the new Internet-based services. However, there will be a "range" of content packages and will include content from several networks and high-end add-on options, according to The Verge.

There are some other big questions about the new streaming services including when they will be available and the apps offered to access the services.

The telecommunication giant will release pricing for the new services later this year at launch. DirecTV's standard satellite TV service and AT&T's U-verse TV and Internet service will still be provided.  

AT&T might be one of the first companies to offer Internet-based TV that can compete with cable companies. It will have a better chance if it offers NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, HBO, and ESPN.

Dish Network is a small rival of AT&T that is already offering a similar streaming service called Sling TV, according to CNN.

However, DirecTV Now will be different.  AT&T's new streaming services will include hundreds of cable TV channels people watch at home instead of dozens.

Here's an AT&T U-verse commercial: