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What is the best internet provider in Wilmington?
AT&T Fiber is the best internet service provider in Wilmingtonaccording to our CNET experts. The provider offers fast, symmetrical upload and download speeds, competitive pricing, and straightforward terms of service, including unlimited data and free equipment rental.
It also features the fastest internet plans in Wilmington, with multi-gigabit speed up to 5,000 megabits per second starting at $245 per month. While this may be more than most are willing to spend, AT&T Fiber offers a variety of plans with prices between $55 and $145 a month.
If AT&T Fiber is not available at your address, you still have several options. Spectrum ties for the cheapest internet in Wilmington, with plans starting as low as $50 a month for download speeds up to 500Mbps, making it a solid contender for best budget internet plan. Fixed wireless providers such as T-Mobile Home InternetUS Cellular, and Verizon 5G Home Internet also starts at $50 a month but can’t match Spectrum in terms of speed and reliability.
Best internet in Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington internet providers compared
| giver | internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | The monthly cost of equipment | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Read the full review |
DSL, fiber | $55 DSL, $55-$245 fiber | 10-100Mbps DSL, 300-5,000Mbps fiber | nothing | 1.5TB DSL, no fiber | nothing | 7.4 |
| Spectrum Read the full review |
Cable | $50-$70 | 500-1,000Mbps | Free modem, $10 router rental (optional) | nothing | nothing | 7.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$55 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.4 |
| US Cellular | Fixed wireless | $50 | 45-195Mbps | different | 600GB | N/A | |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers) | 50-1,000Mbps | nothing | nothing | nothing | 7.2 |
| Starlink Read the full review |
Low orbit satellite | $120; $140-$500 (Priority); $150-$5,000 (Mobile) | 100-220Mbps | $499 one time purchase | unlimited; 1TB-5TB (Priority) | nothing | N/A |
| Viasat Read the full review |
SATELLITE | $99 | 25-150Mbps | $15 or $250 one time purchase | 850GB | 2 years | 6.1 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What is the cheapest internet plan in Wilmington?
| plan | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Internet Read the full review |
$50 | 500Mbps | Free modem, $10 router rental (optional) |
| T-Mobile Home Internet Read the full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | nothing |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Read the full review |
$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 50-300Mbps | nothing |
| US Cellular | $50 | 25-100Mbps | different |
| AT&T Fiber 300 Read the full review |
$55 | 300Mbps | nothing |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find deals and promotions on the internet in Wilmington
The best deals on the internet and the top promotions in Wilmington depend on what discounts are available at that time. Most deals don’t last, but we’re always on the lookout for the latest offers.
Internet providers in Wilmington, such as Spectrum, may offer lower introductory rates for a limited time. Many providers, including AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet, run the same base price year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, see our guide to best deals on the internet.
Fastest internet plans in Wilmington
| plan | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Internet 5000 Read the full review |
$245 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| AT&T Internet 2000 Read the full review |
$145 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| Spectrum Internet Gig Read the full review |
$70 | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | nothing | Cable |
| AT&T Internet 1000 Read the full review |
$80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | nothing | ravelled |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet Read the full review |
$70 ($45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers) | 85-1,000Mbps | 50-75Mbps | nothing | Fixed wireless |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What is a good internet speed?
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you are looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you will have a better experience with a stronger connection. Here is an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the Federal Communication Commission. Note that these are only guidelines and internet speed, service and performance will vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, see our guide to how much internet speed do you need?.
- 0 to 5Mbps allows you to deal with the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
- 40 to 100Mbps should provide a user with enough bandwidth to satisfy the needs of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
- 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to participate in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET picks the best internet providers in Wilmington
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptop, router or kitchen utensilsit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a city. What is our approach? We started by researching pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission of FCC.gov.
It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in one area. We also input local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. We looked at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to assess how happy customers are with ISP service. ISP plans and prices are subject to constant change; All information provided is accurate at the time of publication.
Once we have this local information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Are customers getting decent value for what they paid for?
- Are customers happy with their service?
While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, providers who are close to “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.).
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Wilmington FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Wilmington?
AT&T Fiber is the best internet service provider in Wilmington because of its fast, symmetrical speeds, favorable terms of service (free equipment, unlimited data, no contract) and record of high customer satisfaction.
Spectrum is a close second to AT&T Fiber in Wilmington. The area’s largest cable internet provider is available in more local homes than AT&T Fiber and has a lower starting price of $30 to $50 per month. Spectrum’s affordable plans also offer faster top download speeds than similarly priced plans from AT&T Fiber, 500Mbps versus 300Mbps.
Is fiber internet available in Wilmington?
Yes. About one-third of Wilmington addresses are wired for fiber internet service, according to the majority recent FCC data. Coverage is greatest in the South Oleander, Princess Place and Pine Valley Estates neighborhoods, but fiber service can be found in random spots throughout the city. AT&T Fiber is Wilmington’s largest and essentially only fiber internet provider.
Who is the cheapest internet provider in Wilmington?
Spectrum, T-Mobile Home Internet, US Cellular and Verizon 5G Home Internet all have plans starting at $50 a month. Spectrum offers the fastest download speeds, up to 1000Mbps. Equipment rental, although optional, adds $10 to your monthly Spectrum bill, while T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet include equipment rental at no additional cost.
Which internet provider in Wilmington offers the fastest plan?
AT&T Fiber offers the fastest internet plans in Wilmington with speeds up to 5,000Mbps starting at $245 per month. The service comes with fiber-unique benefits of symmetrical upload and download speeds, a perk that cannot be obtained from cable internet such as Spectrum or fixed wireless internet.
