Fiber Optic Web Suppliers – CNET

What’s the greatest fiber web total?

In terms of fiber web, you’ll discover that costs, velocity tiers and repair phrases range amongst suppliers. That’s why sure fiber ISPs rise above the remaining. Out of all the main suppliers, I discover AT&T Fiber to be the perfect fiber supplier total because of its number of high-speed plans, aggressive pricing, favorable service phrases and broad availability.

AT&T Fiber is not the one first rate possibility for fiber web, nevertheless. You may discover my picks of the perfect fiber web suppliers beneath. Every of the greatest web suppliers listed beneath makes use of a fiber-to-the-home community, which all however ensures the perfect connection high quality, velocity and reliability. Moreover, these suppliers stand out for his or her distinctive pricing, availability, buyer satisfaction and different elements. We replace this record periodically.

Greatest fiber web of 2023

AT&T Fiber

Greatest fiber web supplier total

Examine availability

Product particulars

Value vary

$55 – $180 monthly

Velocity vary

300 – 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Data

Limitless information, no contracts, gear included

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

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 value that’s laborious to move up, however not each family wants that a lot velocity. All plans, from the budget-friendly 300Mbps plan to multigig service, include limitless information and require no contract. 

The quick velocity, comparatively low pricing and customer-friendly service phrases have earned AT&T excessive buyer satisfaction rankings lately. The American Buyer Satisfaction Index gave AT&T Fiber an industry-leading rating of 80 out of 100 for 2023.

Examine AT&T Fiber availability

CenturyLink

Greatest fiber web protection

Examine availability

Product particulars

Value vary

$30 – $70 monthly

Velocity vary

200 – 940Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Data

Limitless information, no contracts, gear included with gigabit tier

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. CenturyLink additionally operates primarily in suburban and rural areas, bringing high-speed fiber connections to areas that won’t in any other case have entry to them. 

Nonetheless, individuals residing in CenturyLink fiber service areas solely have two plan choices: 100 or 200Mbps beginning at $30 a month, or gigabit service beginning at $70 a month. Whereas extra plan choices could be good, CenturyLink’s gigabit velocity plan remains to be a fairly whole lot. At $70 a month for speeds as much as 940Mbps and no gear charges, CenturyLink is likely one of the most cost-effective fiber suppliers for gigabit service.

Examine CenturyLink availability

Frontier Fiber

Greatest low-cost fiber plan

Examine availability

Product particulars

Value vary

$50 – $155 monthly

Velocity vary

500 – 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Data

Limitless information, no contracts, no gear charge

Frontier Communications not too long ago expanded its fiber web protection to 19 states after which rolled out a brand new multigig service to all the footprint abruptly, 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 in the event you do not want all that velocity, the decrease tiers — 500Mbps beginning at $50 monthly and gig service beginning at $70 month-to-month — are pretty much as good a worth as you may discover from any main supplier.

Frontier Fiber plans include limitless information and require no contract. In contrast to many different suppliers, Frontier consists of the gear value with the worth, so aside from taxes, Frontier plan pricing may be very a lot “what you see is what you pay.” 

Examine Frontier Fiber availability

Google Fiber

Greatest fiber web gig plans

Examine availability

Product particulars

Value vary

$70 – $100 monthly

Velocity vary

1,000 – 2,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Data

Limitless information, no contracts, gear included

Google Fiber remains to be round and resuming enlargement after a multiyear hiatus. The place obtainable, Google Fiber affords fiber web service beginning at $70 a month and a 2Gbps plan beginning at $100 a month. Each include gear included at no additional value, no information caps and no contracts. 

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

Examine Google Fiber availability

Verizon Fios

Greatest signup bonuses

Examine availability

Product particulars

Value vary

$50 – $120 monthly

Velocity vary

300 – 2,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Data

Limitless information, no contracts, free gear with gig service

Verizon Fios is an in depth second to AT&T when it comes to velocity, pricing and repair phrases, nevertheless it lacks the identical breadth of protection. Although obtainable to almost the identical variety of potential clients as AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios primarily serves the mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas. 

These fortunate sufficient to dwell in a Verizon Fios service space will probably discover the fiber web service is tough 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 obtain and add speeds of as much as 300Mbps. The following velocity tier can also be a good worth — $70 a month for as much as 500Mbps — however at $90 monthly, gigabit service is priced the identical or a contact increased than you may discover with different fiber suppliers. 

Whichever Fios plan you join, anticipate some engaging extras together with your order, like free streaming subscriptions, electronics, present playing cards or different promotional affords.

Examine Verizon Fios availability

Windstream Kinetic

Greatest for fiber in rural areas

Examine availability

Product particulars

Value vary

$40 – $70 monthly

Velocity vary

100 – 1,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Data

Limitless information, no contracts

One drawback of fiber web is that it is usually solely obtainable in choose neighborhoods of bigger cities. In the event you’re residing 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 likely one of the greatest rural web suppliers, bringing high-speed connections to locations probably underserved by cable or by different fiber web suppliers. These in a Kinetic service space may even respect the low pricing — $37 a month for speeds of as much as 200Mbps the place obtainable, and gigabit service for under $67 a month — together with limitless information and no contract necessities.

Examine Kinetic Web availability

Ziply Fiber

Quickest fiber web supplier

Examine availability

Product particulars

Value vary

$40 – $300 monthly

Velocity vary

100 – 10,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Data

Limitless information, no contracts, quick rural web connection

Ziply Fiber not too long ago rolled out a 10Gbps plan, successfully making it the quickest main ISP throughout its Northwest footprint in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington — if not the quickest supplier nationwide. 

As streaming, on-line gaming and distant working and studying have grow to be extra commonplace, quicker web speeds are in excessive demand. Nonetheless, 10Gbps is greater than the common family will want. For everybody else, Ziply Fiber affords a spread of different velocity tiers from 100 to five,000Mbps.

Learn our Ziply Fiber overview.

Examine Ziply Fiber availability

Why go for fiber web?

Your web speeds, reliability and total expertise do not rely solely on the web supplier you select. The know-how it makes use of to run service to your private home makes an enormous distinction as properly.

If I may suggest any web connection sort above all the remaining, that’d be fiber. My fiber web speeds, add and obtain, are quick and constant, even throughout peak utilization occasions or inclement climate. The usual month-to-month price of fiber web providers, whereas not the most affordable service amongst web suppliers in my space, remains to be a terrific worth contemplating the speeds I get.

What to think about when purchasing for fiber web

Fiber web is the perfect sort of service for many properties, however there’s extra to picking a supplier and plan than the connection sort. Listed below are some suggestions to bear in mind when purchasing for fiber web service.

Availability. You will not discover fiber web to be obtainable in practically as many properties as cable, DSL, satellite tv for pc and even 5G web. Actually, solely round 38% of US households are wired for fiber-optic web. Availability is scarce in suburban and rural areas, and might range from one neighborhood to the following in most cities. It is potential fiber web is simply not obtainable at your private home or the handle you are shifting to.

Speeds. Fiber web has the quickest add and obtain velocity potential of any sort of web. Most of the high suppliers supply velocity tiers as much as 2,000Mbps (2Gbps), 5Gbps and better. Whereas the blazing quick speeds are tempting, they’re prone to be extra velocity than your private home wants. Take a look at our information to discovering the precise web velocity for assist choosing a fiber plan that greatest meets your wants.

Value. In the event you’re on the lookout for low-cost web, fiber might not be the best choice. It is true that fiber web plans are sometimes the perfect worth, however you might discover cheaper choices from cable or 5G suppliers.

A number of fiber suppliers supply plans with beginning costs as little as $30 monthly, however you are extra prone to pay no less than $50 monthly for fiber web. Cable web suppliers together with Cox, Mediacom, Xfinity and others have lower-priced plans in lots of areas. In case you are a T-Cellular Magenta Max or Verizon wi-fi buyer, you could possibly get 5G dwelling web for the discounted value of $25 to $35 monthly.

Bundles. Few fiber suppliers supply a TV service, which means you might not have the ability to bundle web and TV along with the identical supplier in the event you select a fiber web service. Within the days of streaming and cord-cutting, that might not be a deal-breaker for you, nevertheless it’s one thing to bear in mind when purchasing for each providers.

How we consider fiber web suppliers

Testing an web supplier the identical means CNET exams different services is, at greatest, impractical. As an alternative, we depend on intensive analysis of every supplier to develop our opinions and proposals.

When evaluating fiber web suppliers, availability, speeds and total worth are on the middle of our evaluations. We additionally look at added charges, information caps, contract necessities, buyer satisfaction experiences and different elements that would have an effect on your high quality of service or buyer expertise.

We seek advice from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov for availability information and the kind of community a supplier makes use of. We then analysis a supplier’s speeds, pricing and repair phrases by a wide range of channels such because the supplier’s web site and our personal historic information. When potential, we contact the supplier immediately to substantiate pricing and velocity particulars.

Lastly, to develop a extra well-rounded perspective of the supplier, we think about buyer satisfaction experiences from the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, in addition to buyer opinions and complaints from sources such because the Higher Enterprise Bureau, downdetector.com and even Reddit.

Earlier than writing our opinions and compiling greatest lists, we analysis something and every thing the standard shopper would need to know previous to signing up for dwelling web service. Learn our piece on how we overview web suppliers to be taught extra about our overview course of.

Fiber web honorable mentions

• EarthLink: EarthLink makes use of the fiber networks put in by different suppliers or municipal fiber-optic networks, which implies obtainable speeds and repair high quality can range extensively from one area to the following. In choose areas, EarthLink affords fiber service with speeds of as much as 1 gigabit for round $100 a month.
• Optimum: Optimum is primarily a cable web supplier, nevertheless it does have a rising fiber community, significantly within the larger NYC space. Roughly 1.6 million households can be found for fiber service within the space. Fiber plans are priced the identical as Optimum’s cable web service.
• Xfinity: Comcast Xfinity’s fiber service can also be considerably restricted in availability and affords a powerful max velocity of as much as 6,000Mbps. The catch? The plan comes with an equally jaw-dropping value of $300 a month.

Greatest fiber web suppliers recap

If fiber web service is on the market in your space, it is in all probability value getting, particularly if any of the suppliers listed above is an possibility. AT&T is best to suggest due to its excessive availability, low prices and favorable service phrases, however Verizon Fios is an in depth second with low pricing, excessive buyer satisfaction and many perks for signing up. Google Fiber, Frontier Fiber, Windstream, CenturyLink and Ziply Fiber spherical out the record of excellent choices whereas suppliers like EarthLink, Optimum and others are value a glance, too, if obtainable in your space.

Fiber web FAQs