Santa Clara may be first in the hearts of 49ers fans, but how does it rank on broadband providers? Here are CNET’s picks, with Xfinity in the top spot.
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Hallie SeltzerAssociate Writer
Hallie Seltzer is an associate writer with CNET’s broadband team, covering ISP reviews, provider comparisons and a little bit of everything related to home internet. She is a recent graduate from Rogers State University in Oklahoma with a degree in strategic communications. In her spare time, Hallie enjoys trying new restaurants, watching scary movies and snuggling with her two kitties.
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What is the best internet provider in Santa Clara?
CNET recommends Xfinity as the No. 1 internet service provider for most Santa Clara households. Xfinity is Santa Clara’s most widely available ISP — apart from satellite providers like Hughesnet, Viasat and Starlink — and offers some of the lowest rates for home internet in the area. AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile Home Internet and Ridge Wireless are also available at most addresses, but it’ll come down to what is serviceable at your location.
Xfinity also beats out its competitors by offering the cheapest service in Santa Clara. For only $20 per month, customers can reach download speeds up to 75 megabits per second. Or if you need more speed than that, Xfinity’s 200Mbps plan costs only $5 more a month and includes equipment rental.
Are you hunting for the speediest connection in Santa Clara? AT&T Fiber offers 5 gigabits of symmetrical download and upload speed for $225 per month. AT&T Fiber and Xfinity also tie for the second-fastest plan in the area, both offering 2,000Mbps for $125 and $120, respectively.
methodology page.
Best internet in Santa Clara, California, in 2024
Speed range
75 – 2,000Mbps
Price range
$20 – $120 per month
Our take – Xfinity’s coverage can’t be beaten in Santa Clara, as the Federal Communications Commission reports that it serves over 97% of addresses. This cable giant offers multiple plans under its network, ranging in download speeds from 75Mbps up to 2,000Mbps. Some plans may include a 1.2TB data cap and an equipment fee, but all plans except for the lowest tier are contract-free.
Our take – Unfortunately, less than 13% of Santa Clara residents have access to fiber internet. But if your address is serviceable for AT&T Fiber, move this provider to the top of your list. AT&T Fiber offers five plans for customers to choose from: 300Mbps, 500Mbps, 1,000Mbps, 2,000Mbps and 5,000Mbps. All plans come with equipment, unlimited data and no annual contract.
Our take – T-Mobile Home Internet keeps home broadband simple and affordable. This fixed wireless ISP costs $60 per month for speeds up to 245Mbps, but eligible mobile customers can save $20 per month on service. Plus, T-Mobile Home Internet has unlimited data and equipment, and you won’t have to worry about introductory pricing.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Santa Clara
The best internet deals and top promotions in Santa Clara depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Santa Clara internet providers, such as T-Mobile and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, such as AT&T and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
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 user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and gaming.
500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Santa Clara
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? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We use the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for 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 publication.
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 answers to those questions are 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 also consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Santa Clara internet provider FAQs
According to the FCC, less than 13% of Santa Clara addresses have access to fiber internet, with AT&T Fiber being the largest fiber provider in the area.
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