These days, a fast and reliable internet connection is a must, especially since remote work is on the rise, a trend that appears to be here to stay despite the lifting of Coronavirus restrictions. Due to this, it is more important than ever before to understand what internet options are available in your area. This is so that you are able to select the right provider for your needs. You may have a hard time choosing an internet service provider – especially living in a rural area without many options for accessing the Internet.
The process of selecting your next internet provider (ISP) does not have to be difficult. However, making the right decision isn’t always easy when you have a lot of choices.
You may be wondering which internet providers in my area are the best ones? We can answer that for you.
Those living in a metro area may have access to leading providers like AT&T, Verizon, and Xfinity, depending on your location. However, those in rural or suburban areas may be able to make a choice between Frontier and CenturyLink. Nearly every location can receive HughesNet and Viasat satellite services, though the speed of the internet service may be an issue in some cases.
To gain further insights on the best internet service providers in the United States in terms of the prices, plans, and download speeds they offer, read on so you can make an informed decision about which provider to subscribe to.
AT&T Internet
Currently available in 22 states and leading the pack in Florida, Texas, and California, AT&T Internet offers hybrid-DSL internet to roughly 122.8 million customers. This makes it the nation’s top-ranking provider of copper internet to residential customers. Some areas are also served by AT&T’s fixed wireless and fiber-optic internet, the former being available to approximately 2.7 million people and fiber to approximately 25.1 million people. In addition to their internet service, AT&T also provides mobile broadband, digital landline service, IPTV, and DirecTV through satellite.
Spectrum
It offers cable internet service in 40+ states of the United States, with the most extensive coverage in New York, Texas, and California. A total of 102.7 million customers can access the high-speed cable internet service offered by Spectrum, ranking it as the second-largest residential provider in the country. Spectrum currently offers fiber internet in 5,899 zip codes. Aside from providing internet access, the provider also offers phone and cable TV services, which can be bundled together with internet service or purchased separately.
Xfinity from Comcast
With coverage across 36 states, including the highest density in Illinois, Florida, and California, Comcast’s Xfinity is the country’s leading cable provider. It offers internet access to 111.6 million people. Fiber internet with hyper-gid speeds is also available through Xfinity, with approximately 18,000 homes having access to it. Phone and TV are other services offered by Xfinity. Internet plans with Xfinity offer speeds between 50 and 1200 Mbps.
HughesNet
Being one of the largest residential satellite providers across all 50 states, HughesNet offers service to more than 308.7 million households, primarily serving residents in New York, Texas, and California. Over the past few years, HughesNet’s internet speeds have improved, reaching 25 Mbps currently, driven by its “Gen 5” satellites. In addition to satellite internet service, HughesNet also provides phone service, but not television.
Viasat Internet
Having coverage in every state, Viasat ranks second in residential satellite internet behind HughesNet. The greatest coverage areas are New York, Texas, and California, with an estimated 308.5 million subscribers. Compared to some wired broadband, Viasat offers a wider range of coverage. The company offers download speeds between 12-100 Mbps. Similar to HughesNet, Viasat also offers phone services, but no TV.
Windstream
Windstream has wide coverage across all 50 states, although it is best served along the east coast and in the Midwest. The company offers a variety of services and products, including internet, cable television, home security, and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). The company offers bundle packages of these services as well.
Over the past few years, Windstream has invested heavily in fiber-DSL infrastructure, enabling much faster internet connections than ever before. The company’s hybrid fiber-DSL internet service is known as Kinetic by Windstream and is their best-selling offering.
In rural areas, Windstream also offers DSL and fixed wireless internet services. The cable internet service offered by Windstream is available in suburban areas, with speeds similar to their Kinetic plans.
Kinetic by Windstream is the most popular internet plan offered by the provider with speeds up to 1 Gbps, the highest available speed. When speeds like these are available, Kinetic GIG Fiber by Windstream seems like an appealing internet plan to subscribe to.
Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications began providing DSL service in the U.S. rural and suburban markets in 2008. Frontier acquired Verizon’s additional fiber network coverage in 2014. The company now markets its fiber services under the Frontier Fiber brand.
Frontier’s strength as a DSL provider is its availability in rural areas, as most homes in rural areas have copper phone lines, which are needed for DSL service. The Frontier Fiber network is available across several states, mainly in metropolitan areas. Additionally, aside from some states in the Northwest, Frontier is available nationwide, including Connecticut, California, Florida, as well as 22 other states.
The Frontier network consists of its DSL and Fiber connections. DSL is substantially slower than fiber. However, Frontier has been expanding its fiber infrastructure as well as enhancing DSL speeds and bandwidth.
Frontier DSL Internet provides download speeds of up to 115 Mbps. The Frontier Fiber network offers upload and download speeds up to 2 Gbps. With speeds like these, Frontier is one of the leading providers of fiber internet.
MetroNet
Over 1.2 million residents throughout the North Central and Midwest regions can access MetroNet services. MetroNet delivers all its services over a 100% fiber-optic network. Being a fiber-optic network, MetroNet subscribers enjoy a dedicated connection to their homes, so they don’t have to share it. Along with high-speed internet, MetroNet also offers fiber-optic phone service.
MetroNet’s rates are based on speed, but the provider also offers discounted rates and promotions for its WholeHome Wi-Fi service. MetroNet’s internet speed varies, depending on where you live, but it is known for being among the fastest providers in the United States.
Fiber-optic technology is MetroNet’s specialty, which ensures a fast, reliable connection even when internet demand spikes in the neighborhood. With MetroNet’s Fiber internet service, upload and download speeds are equal, a feature known as symmetrical speeds. Fiber service should be your first choice if you need a lot of upload capacity.
Cox Communications
Cox Communications delivers cable internet connections in California, Arizona, Virginia, and 15 other states. The provider is one of the biggest telecommunications companies in the United States, serving 21.2 million people. Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, and Phoenix fall within Cox’s coverage area. Furthermore, Cox offers a network of more than 500,000 Wi-Fi hotspots that Cox customers can use on the go. There are hotspots in various public areas on the Cox network.
In addition to cable internet, Cox offers television packages, security, and smart home services.
Over coaxial cable, Cox Communications provides the “last mile” of an Internet connection to subscribers. Coaxial cables were originally used to transmit TV signals, but today they are used for fast downloads and high bandwidth. While fiber provides a higher bandwidth and download speed than coaxial cable, the wide availability of cable infrastructure in the United States enables Cox to offer high-speed internet services to customers who would otherwise have to resort to slower, more expensive options.
Optimum by Altice
Optimum offers fiber and cable internet to more than 12 million subscribers in the Northeast, including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. In addition to home internet service, Optimum offers home phone, cable TV, and mobile services. T-Mobile’s wireless network powers the wireless services of Optimum.
Cable internet is the company’s primary service, meaning that data is transmitted over underground coaxial cable lines. Even though these lines were originally installed only for cable TV, they are now used by DOCSIS to transmit high-speed digital data. Thus, cable companies like Optimum can offer internet service to a wide range of subscribers without having to invest in costly fiber networks.
As a result, Optimum sends fiber to subscribers’ general areas, while coaxial cables carry the final leg of the data journey. In contrast to fiber-optic connections, it can slow down download and upload speeds, allowing a company to provide cheaper service at scale. Fiber internet service is being delivered directly to homes and businesses with access to Optimum Fiber.
Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink provides service throughout the United States, including states in the Midwest and Southeast, as well as regions along the West Coast. This includes Texas, Louisiana, West Virginia, and several other states. Charleston and Amarillo are among the two major metropolitan regions Suddenlink offers cable internet access to. Further, Suddenlink offers high-speed fiber internet access within their larger service areas. But this service is more geared toward business customers and is less widely available.
Suddenlink claims to offer download speeds of up to 940 Mbps. Nevertheless, the speed of cable internet can fluctuate throughout the daysince the bandwidth is shared by multiple users.
Suddenlink’s entire line of internet packages (Internet 300, Internet 500, and Internet 1 Gig) include a $200 Visa gift card (good for 12 months after signing up).
Consider getting Optimum Mobile with Suddenlink if you need mobile service. You can get T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G and 4G LTE networks along with discounts if you bundle.
CenturyLink
CenturyLink is a major provider of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and fiber optic internet access through “fiber-to-the-loop” landlines, providing high-speed connections at a reasonable price. The company only provides fiber-optic internet in 37 states.
Due to CenturyLink’s reliance on existing telecommunications infrastructure, its core strength is its rural availability. One of the main advantages of DSL is its wide availability — DSL can be installed in virtually any house with a telephone line. Many suburban residents choose CenturyLink because of its consistent pricing as compared to cable and its comparable stability to satellite service with higher data caps.
CenturyLink is one of the least expensive internet service providers nationwide that provides fiber internet. As such, if you can get it in your area, then it’s definitely worth the price. DSL plans offered by CenturyLink are comparable with other nationwide providers.
The flexibility of CenturyLink’s fees distinguishes it from competitors such as AT&T. Customers of CenturyLink can opt-out of equipment lease fees and installation fees if there is a promotion going on.
Final Word
Our daily lives are inextricably linked to the internet today. We are able to make our lives easier, simpler, and faster thanks to the proper use of the internet. Having access to the internet facilitates the dissemination of facts, statistics, as well as knowledge, which can be used by individuals for their development on a social, economic, and personal level. The internet is used in a variety of ways, but how we use it in our daily lives depends on our own goals and requirements.
However, it can be difficult to choose the right internet provider for your home after comparing the various options available. This includes the different types of internet services and the number of megabits offered for downloading and uploading.
We hope our above-mentioned list of internet service providers will help you make the right decision about what internet service you should subscribe to. From fiber and cable to satellite and DSL internet providers, we have mentioned all the best ISPs in the United States that cater to the different needs of their customers.
Make sure you keep in mind the cost of the internet deals, the download speed and the bandwidth offered by it, and most importantly, internet usage before subscribing to an internet plan.
