Fiber Optic Internet Providers – CNET

AT&T has the best availability of any fiber supplier, extending service to greater than 16 million potential prospects throughout 21 states. The supplier additionally boasts among the lowest pricing on fiber web service while you bear in mind its new multigig tiers introduced in January. 

At $180 a month for speeds as much as 5,000 megabits per second, AT&T’s Web 5000 plan boasts a 4-cents-per-Mbps price that’s exhausting to move up, however not each family wants that a lot pace. All plans, from the budget-friendly 300Mbps plan to multigig service, include limitless information and require no contract. 

The quick pace, comparatively low pricing and customer-friendly service phrases have earned AT&T excessive buyer satisfaction scores lately. The American Buyer Satisfaction Index gave AT&T a rating of 71 out of 100 in 2021, sharing the highest spot with Verizon Fios. AT&T’s ACSI rating did drop a pair factors in 2022, however the supplier continues to be forward of the vast majority of ISPs and properly above the trade common of 64.

Although AT&T Fiber and Verizon Fios can be found to extra individuals, CenturyLink’s fiber community covers extra areas, with fiber service that spans a powerful 25 states. Like Windstream, CenturyLink additionally operates primarily in suburban and rural areas, bringing high-speed fiber connections to areas that will not in any other case have entry to them. 

Nevertheless, individuals dwelling in CenturyLink fiber service areas solely have two plan choices: 200Mbps beginning at $50 a month or gigabit service beginning at $70 a month. Whereas extra plan choices could be good , CenturyLink’s gigabit pace plan continues to be a reasonably whole lot. At $70 a month for speeds as much as 940Mbps and no gear charges, CenturyLink is without doubt one of the least expensive fiber suppliers for gigabit service.

Frontier Communications lately expanded its fiber web protection to 19 states after which rolled out a brand new multigig service to the whole footprint without delay, turning into the primary main ISP to take action.

Frontier’s new multigig plans are priced competitively at $100 a month for speeds as much as 2,000Mbps and $155 month-to-month for the 5 Gig plan. Even when you do not want all that pace, the decrease tiers — 500Mbps beginning at $50 per 30 days and gig service beginning at $70 month-to-month — are pretty much as good a worth as you will discover from any main supplier.

Like AT&T and Verizon Fios, Frontier Fiber plans include limitless information and require no contract. Not like many different suppliers, Frontier consists of the gear price with the worth, so aside from taxes, Frontier plan pricing could be very a lot “what you see is what you pay.” 

Google Fiber continues to be round and resuming growth after a multiyear hiatus. The place accessible, Google Fiber provides fiber web service beginning at $70 a month and a 2Gbps plan beginning at $100 a month. Each include gear included at no additional price, no information caps and no contracts. 

There’s additionally the newly launched 5 gig and eight gig plans for $125 and $150 per 30 days, respectively. Availability is at the moment restricted, however a Google Fiber spokesperson confirmed with CNET that the supplier goals to increase the plans to all service areas later this yr.

Verizon Fios is a detailed second to AT&T when it comes to pace, pricing and repair phrases, however it lacks the identical breadth of protection. Although accessible to just about the identical variety of potential prospects as AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios primarily serves the mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas. 

These fortunate sufficient to reside in a Verizon Fios service space will seemingly discover the fiber web service is difficult to beat, particularly for these on the lookout for a low-cost connection. Beginning at simply $50 a month, the lowest-price Fios web plan comes with concurrent obtain and add speeds of as much as 300Mbps. The subsequent pace tier can also be a good worth — $70 a month for as much as 500Mbps — however at $90 per 30 days, gigabit service is priced the identical or a contact larger than you will discover with different fiber suppliers. 

Whichever Fios plan you join, count on some attractive extras together with your order, like free streaming subscriptions or gear. All plans at the moment include a free Disney Bundle subscription, which incorporates Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus for one yr, or a wi-fi headset and/or a DualSense controller. Signing up for gigabit service additionally comes with the added bonus of free Wi-Fi router and extender rental.

One drawback of fiber web is that it is usually solely accessible in choose neighborhoods of bigger cities. In case you’re dwelling within the suburbs or a rural space, then your greatest likelihood to get fiber web is probably going Kinetic by Windstream. Roughly a 3rd of Windstream’s community — which spans rural and suburban areas throughout 18 states — is fiber optic.

Windstream is without doubt one of the greatest rural web suppliers, bringing high-speed connections to locations seemingly underserved by cable or by different fiber web suppliers. These in a Kinetic service space may also recognize the low pricing — $37 a month for speeds of as much as 200Mbps the place accessible, and gigabit service for less than $67 a month — together with limitless information and no contract necessities.