Best Internet Service Providers in North Carolina

If you want extreme speeds, Google Viber Offers the fastest internet in North CarolinaWith speeds of up to 8000Mbps and affordable prices. However, Google Fiber only serves select cities in North Carolina, such as Charlotte and Wilmington. If you are in rural areas, you can choose local fiber providers or fixed wireless options such as T-Mobile home internet. Select parts of the state can also access speeds of up to 5,000 Mbps via AT&T Fiber. Check out our top picks below to find the best internet provider for your home.

What are the best internet service providers in North Carolina?

Whether you’re gaming, watching movies and TV shows, or working, North Carolina is home to some of the fastest internet speeds in the country. While fiber options from AT&T and Google are primarily limited to Charlotte and the Triangle, North Carolinians can access many Types of Internet connection. Given its wide availability in the state, fast speeds and simple pricing, we give it the nod Spectrum is the overall best internet provider in North Carolina. Your options will vary depending on where you live, but fortunately, anyone in the state can connect to the Internet, although it may be through satellite Internet.

Best Internet Options in North Carolina

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Broadband in North Carolina at a glance

About 96% of North Carolinians have access to download speeds of up to 100 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps, according to Country data. Additionally, North Carolina ranks seventh among the 50 states Washington, DCfor the fastest average download speeds, according to the speed testing company Okla. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) The average download speed in the Tar Heel State is about 262 Mbps, thanks in part to Google Fiber’s fast, reliable network. In fact, Raleigh ranks first on the list Cities with the fastest internet, with average download speeds of around 331 Mbps. North Carolina boasts five megacities in the top 30 in Ookla’s ranking of 100 cities for fastest internet speeds, with Raleigh at the top, Durham at No. 7, Charlotte at No. 21, Winston-Salem at No. 22, and Greensboro at No. 22. 45. Yes, the Tar Heel State has some fast internet, thanks mostly to the fiber optic network from AT&T and Google. Just finished 48% have access to fiber internet connection, although mostly in Charlotte and the Triangle.

Internet breakdown by city in North Carolina

It’s difficult to cover broadband options for an entire country and give individual cities the attention they deserve. That’s why we also compile lists of the best ISPs in cities across the United States, including those in North Carolina. We handle details like internet connection types, maximum speeds and cheapest providers. Check back later if you don’t find the city you’re looking for below. We are working on adding more sites every week.

Internet prices in North Carolina

The starting price for internet service in North Carolina will depend on where you live, but based on the most available ISPs in the state, expect to pay around $50 for an internet connection. If you’re an existing customer of certain T-Mobile plans and have access to their 5G internet offering, you can get this service for $40 per month.

How CNET chose the best ISPs in North Carolina

ISPs are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest Smartphone, Laptop, Router or Kitchen toolit is impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by searching for pricing, availability, and speed information, relying on our own historical ISP data, provider locations, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

And it doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to verify our data and make sure we take into account every ISP that offers service in an area. We also enter local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look to sources, including the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with their ISP service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; All information provided is accurate as of the date of publication.

Once we have this local information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider provide access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting adequate value for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often multi-layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three questions are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also take into account things like price increases and equipment and contract fees. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and take into account real-world speed data from sources such as Okla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our website How we test ISPs page.

The future of broadband in North Carolina

The federal government in late June granted North Carolina jurisdiction $1.5 billion for expansion High-speed Internet access throughout the state. The Broadband and Digital Equity IT Division “will use (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) funding to connect high-cost areas, remaining unserved and underserved locations, and community support organizations that do not have access to fiber optics,” it reads. The state’s five-year plan draft. The government also plans to promote digital culture and make internet access affordable.

Internet in North Carolina Frequently Asked Questions