Internet Uncategorized 

Best Internet Providers in Richmond, Virginia – CNET [CNET]

July 14, 2023 Joe Supan technology

With fast and affordable options available throughout the city, it’s a good time to be an internet user in Richmond.

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Verizon Fios – Best overall internet provider in Richmond

• Prices from $50 – $120 per month
• Speeds from 300 – 2,000Mbps
• Unlimited data

Xfinity – Cheapest internet plans in Richmond

• Prices from $20 – $300 per month
• Speeds from 75 – 6,000Mbps
• Data caps on some plans

T-Mobile Home Internet – Best alternative to wired home internet in Richmond

• Prices from $50 per month
• Speeds from 72 – 245Mbps
• Unlimited data

Richmond is one of the oldest cities in the US, but its residents benefit from a fully modern internet infrastructure. A thriving local data center has attracted the business of Google and Netflix, according to a 2022 report by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which also described the region as having one of the highest concentrations of fiber-optic cables in the country.

Virginia is one of eight states where Verizon Fios has set up shop, giving many Richmond residents access to the company’s fiber internet service — one of the best options available anywhere, according to CNET’s analysis of speed and pricing data. And if Verizon isn’t a viable option, Xfinity’s cable internet is a solid runner-up and available almost everywhere in the city. 

That noted, if you can’t get Verizon Fios or Xfinity at your address, internet speed is more of a mixed bag: Richmond’s median internet speed is on the slower side. The city ranked 83rd out of the 100 most populous cities, according to Ookla’s most recent data. But at 169Mbps download speed and 50Mbps upload speed, that’s still plenty fast for most households.

Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Richmond across a variety of categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.

Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data is variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider’s website. 

Note that the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Richmond. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might be available as well, for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a cellphone plan. 

To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Best internet providers in Richmond

The providers we recommend below offer widespread coverage in Richmond. A check of your home address against the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband map will show your specific options.

Verizon Fios

Best overall internet provider in Richmond

Product details

Price range $50 – $120 per month Speed range 300 – 2,000Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts, free equipment with gig service

One of the best US internet providers is widely available throughout Richmond. Verizon Fios offers among the fastest and most reliable fiber internet plans, and it been ranked as the top internet provider in the American Customer Satisfaction Index every year from 2015 to 2022. (AT&T Fiber finally dethroned Verizon in 2023.) Spend any time on Richmond Reddit threads covering internet service, and you’ll see some variation of “Fios, full stop” over and over. 

Availability: Verizon Fios is currently available to many Richmond households, with service in just about every part of town but Varina, according to FCC mapping data. 

Plans and pricing: The three Fios plans available in Richmond all provide symmetrical upload and download speeds: 300Mbps for $50 a month, 500Mbps for $70 and 940Mbps for $90. There’s a $25 monthly discount if you have a qualifying Verizon cellphone plan. 

Fees and service details: Each Fios plan includes equipment in the price. There are no annual contracts or data caps. Verizon offers free setup when you sign up online.

Read our Verizon Fios home internet review.

Xfinity

Cheapest internet plans in Richmond

Product details

Price range $20 – $300 per month Speed range 75 – 6,000Mbps Connection Cable Highlights Data caps on some plans, lots of plan options, solid customer satisfaction numbers

If you can’t get Verizon Fios at your address, Xfinity offers a range of plans and speeds as well as the cheapest option for most households in Richmond.

Xfinity service comes with some drawbacks, however. Its hybrid fiber-cable connections, which enable high download speeds, aren’t as optimal for upload speeds. In addition, prices increase on most plans after the initial promotional period, but you can save on internet by bundling it with other Xfinity services, getting in touch with the company’s loyalty department or even asking for discounts on Xfinity’s official Reddit page.

Availability: Xfinity’s cable internet service covers roughly 99% of households in the Richmond area, according to FCC data.

Plans and pricing: The five Xfinity plans start at 200Mbps for $25 a month and top out at 1,200Mbps for $80 monthly — but those promotional prices expire after one to three years. After that, your bill will increase by $20 to $37 a month, and increase again a year later on some plans. Unlike Verizon’s fiber-to-the-home internet, Xfinity uses a cable-fiber hybrid network, so upload speeds are much lower than download. It doesn’t list upload speeds on its site, so we had to chat with an agent to find out what’s available in Richmond. Xfinity told us its upload speeds range between 10 and 35Mbps, depending on the plan, but you’ll have to call or chat with an agent to find out what’s available at your address. You can also save up to $30 monthly when you add an Xfinity mobile plan. 

Fees and service details: If you select the least expensive tier of service, the modem and router is included at no extra cost for the first two years. For all other plans, you’ll pay $15 per month to rent equipment unless you provide your own.

Read our Xfinity Internet review.

T-Mobile Home Internet

Best alternative to wired home internet in Richmond

Product details

Price range $50 per month ($30 for eligible T-Mobile Magenta Max customers) Speed range 72 – 245Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Highlights Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

T-Mobile’s fixed wireless internet offers a simple pricing model and solid speeds. With no long-term contracts, no data caps and no equipment fees, it’s a viable alternative to cable and fiber internet plans. It recently ranked first among all nonfiber providers in the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2023 survey. Fixed wireless speeds may not be as fast as fiber or cable plans, however, and your connection may slow further during peak hours.

Availability: T-Mobile’s 5G home internet service covers around 74% of Richmond households.

Plans and pricing: The one T-Mobile Home Internet plan costs $50 a month and delivers 72 to 245Mbps for download speed and 15 to 31Mbps for uploading. Eligible mobile customers can get the home internet plan for $30 a month.

Fees and service details: Everything is included in the monthly price tag. There’s no extra charge for equipment, and T-Mobile guarantees the price for as long as you stay a customer. You can give the service a “Worry-free Test Drive” for 15 days.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other available Richmond residential internet providers

While the providers listed above are by far the best options for internet in Richmond, according to CNET’s analysis, there may be a few other choices available. Keep in mind, you’ll have to check your actual address to see what plans you have access to.

• Earthlink: Earthlink uses the networks of other providers for its internet service, which usually means it’s more expensive than going through those providers directly. You’ll have to call to find out which plans are available at your address.
• Satellite internet: If you can’t get anything else, there’s always satellite internet. While it’s available almost everywhere in the country, it nearly always comes with long contracts, slow speeds, low data caps and high latency. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional satellite competitors, and there’s not much to recommend about them. Starlink is a newer provider that offers significantly faster speeds, but there’s a high upfront equipment cost of $599, and service may not be available yet at all addresses in Richmond.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon has started to leverage its cellular network for home internet service. It’s not as widely available in Richmond as T-Mobile, but speeds can reach 1,000Mbps in some areas.

Pricing details on Richmond home internet service

The average starting price for internet service in Richmond is about $44 per month, but that’s heavily skewed by Xfinity’s bargain-bin $25 monthly plan. While Xfinity offers some of the lowest starting prices you’ll find anywhere in the country, your price will increase considerably after one to three years.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Richmond internet speeds

Residents of Richmond have access to several internet service providers offering high-speed connections. Verizon Fios offers some of the highest upload speeds in the area, ranging from 300 to 880Mbps, while Xfinity offers cable internet plans with download speeds from 200 to 1,200Mbps.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

What’s the final word on internet providers in Richmond?

Richmond residents don’t have a lot of providers to choose from, but it’s hard to go wrong with the ones they do have. No matter where you are in the country, Verizon Fios is a no-brainer — if it’s available, you should probably get it. The only exception is if you’re looking for the cheapest price and you don’t need a ton of speed. In that case, Xfinity’s Connect More 200Mbps plan for $25 a month is one of the best values you’ll find in the area. 200Mbps is enough for several people to stream or work at once, but gamers may run into issues with Xfinity’s low upload speeds.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Richmond

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP 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. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of our prepublication fact-check.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying? 
3. 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. To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Richmond FAQs