The best internet provider in Long Beach is Frontier Fiber, offering fast, symmetrical upload and download speeds, reasonable prices and unlimited data. Spectrum has the cheapest internet plans in the area, starting at just $30 a month. That said, Spectrum comes with steep price increases after two years. If you don’t want to worry about your bill going up, T-Mobile Home Internet is another solid option in Long Beach, and your price is locked in for as long as you remain a customer.
If fiber is available at your address, it’s usually your best option for internet — and most in Long Beach are eligible for Frontier Fiber. The ISP has the fastest speeds in the area by far and some of the lowest starting prices. While many customers have had poor experiences with Frontier in the past, that’s beginning to change as the company transitions from its older DSL network to fiber. In 2022, Frontier ranked dead last in Long Beach’s region in J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction survey; in 2023, it moved all the way up to second.
Spectrum is a cable internet provider in Long Beach that offers some of the lowest starting prices you’ll find anywhere in the country — at least for the first two years. After that, prices will double. Spectrum delivers on the speeds it advertises, though. Ookla speed test results named Spectrum the second-fastest provider in the US and the most consistent.
In 2021, T-Mobile began using its cellular network to offer home internet service, and it’s a nice alternative to the big ISPs. There’s only one plan, everything is included in the price and the monthly cost won’t increase as long as you stay a customer. Customers have largely been happy: According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, T-Mobile has the highest approval rating of any non-fiber provider in the country.
$50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers)
50-1,000Mbps
None
None
None
7.2
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Other available internet providers in Long Beach
Satellite internet: Satellite internet is always an option, but it’s rarely your best one. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional satellite ISPs in the US, and both come with slow speeds, stingy data caps and high prices. Starlink is a newer option from SpaceX, and it improves on the speed part, but you’re still looking at a $120 internet bill every month (plus $599 upfront to purchase the satellite dish).
Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon uses its cellular network to offer fixed wireless service in Long Beach. It’s not as widely available as T-Mobile — only 34% of residents can get it — but speeds reach 1,000Mbps, and you can save by bundling with an eligible Verizon Wireless plan.
Geri Lavrov / Getty Images
Cheap internet options in Long Beach
There are several good options for cheap internet in Long Beach. Spectrum has two plans under $50 a month, but both will cost twice as much after 24 months. Frontier Fiber doesn’t have scheduled price increases like Frontier, but your price isn’t necessarily locked in, either. T-Mobile is the only ISP in Long Beach that offers that perk: Your price will stay the same for as long as you maintain service.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Long Beach?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Long Beach
The best internet deals and the top promotions in Long Beach depend on what discounts are available during that time period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Long Beach internet providers such as Verizon may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including Frontier, T-Mobile Home Internet and Spectrum, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of deals and promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
How fast is Long Beach broadband?
Long Beach ranks 47th out of the 100 most populated cities in the US for internet speed, according to Ookla speed test results. Residents receive median download speeds of 228Mbps and upload speeds of 39Mbps. That’s faster than Anaheim, San Diego and Los Angeles but slower than Santa Ana, San Bernardino and Irvine.
Fastest internet plans in Long Beach
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s a good internet speed?
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines — and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
40 to 100Mbps should give one person sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
100 to 500Mbps allows one to two people to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more people to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming all at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Long Beach
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.
Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of our prepublication fact-check.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
Are customers happy with their service?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though 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.
To explore our process in more depth, you can visit our how we test ISPs page.
What’s the final word on internet providers in Long Beach?
Long Beach residents have a few good home internet options to choose from. Fiber internet is available to 2 in 3 residents — almost entirely from Frontier Fiber. Fortunately, Frontier’s plans start at just $40 a month, far less than you’d usually pay for the speed it provides. Spectrum offers cable internet to most of Long Beach, and its plans are even cheaper than Frontier’s, but be prepared for your bill to double in the third year. If you don’t want to deal with these headaches, T-Mobile Home Internet guarantees it will never raise your price.
Internet providers in Long Beach FAQs
according to FCC data — primarily through Frontier.
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