Fiber internet is the fastest, most reliable internet connection type, but it’s still not widely available. Let’s explore what you can get in your area.
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Is fiber internet available in your area?
Fiber internet is one of most sought-after internet connection types, and it’s no surprise why. With a reliable fiber-optic network, you can get consistent download and upload speeds with data transmitted at the speed of light. Still, despite its speed and popularity, fiber networks can be hard to find.
Fiber internet providers, like most ISPs, operate in specific areas, so only one or two may be available near you. It’s also possible that no fiber providers are available in your area. Or perhaps a fiber provider serves your area but not your specific address.
The best chance for fiber internet at your address comes from national internet providers such as AT&T Fiber, Frontier Fiber, Quantum Fiber and Verizon Fios. These ISPs have the largest fiber-optic networks, but smaller, regional fiber ISPs may be available near you as well.
Additionally, cable providers such as Optimum, Xfinity and Spectrum increasingly incorporate fiber connections throughout their service areas. My fiber internet, for example, comes from Comporium, a mostly cable ISP serving my local area in the suburban Charlotte area.
So how do you know if fiber internet is available in your area? Below, you’ll find a rundown of the largest fiber ISPs and where they offer service, followed by tips for finding fiber internet near you.
10 best fiber internet providers by nationwide availability
Altafiber – Less than 1% coverage, available in three states
Ziply Fiber – Less than 1% coverage, available in four states
Brightspeed – Less than 1% coverage, available in 20 states
GoNetspeed – Less than 1% coverage, available in eight states
Top fiber internet providers by availability
Speed range
300 – 5,000 Mbps
Price range
$55 – $250 per month
Our take – AT&T Fiber is the largest fiber provider in the US, with coverage spanning much of the South and Midwest, as well as California and parts of Nevada around Carson City and Reno. Otherwise, you won’t find AT&T Fiber much west of Texas or to the northeast, where Verizon Fios is a popular choice for fiber internet.
Our take – Available in nine states, Verizon Fios is second only to AT&T Fiber when it comes to fiber coverage. The provider primarily serves the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, with coverage in major cities such as Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Our take – Frontier has greatly increased its fiber coverage in recent years, expanding its availability from three to 29 states and counting. California, Florida and Texas are the biggest states with Frontier Fiber availability, but service can also be found from Minnesota to Connecticut and south to the Myrtle Beach area in South Carolina.
Our take – Parent company Lumen Technologies recently sold some of its DSL and fiber-optic networks, but Quantum Fiber is still a leading fiber provider. Service is mostly available west of the Mississippi River — Denver, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Seattle are popular Quantum Fiber markets, although service can also be found in much of Florida.
Our take – Like Frontier Fiber, Google Fiber has been persistently expanding its fiber coverage in recent years. Availability in existing markets like Atlanta, Huntsville, Alabama, Kansas City and Raleigh, North Carolina has improved, but Google Fiber has expanded into new cities, including West Des Moines, Iowa, and Mesa, Arizona, with plans for more to come.
Our take – Those in Daytona Beach or Tallahassee, Florida, or some of North Carolina’s smaller cities like Fayetteville, Greenville and Hickory may be serviceable for Metronet. Additionally, Metronet covers parts of the Midwest with serviceability greatest in Indiana, south of Minneapolis and west of Chicago.
Our take – With service in 18 states, Kinetic has one of the largest coverage areas of any fiber provider. Actual availability is lower than most since the ISP largely operates in suburban and rural areas. Georgia and Kentucky have the greatest Kinetic serviceability, although the ISP also serves much of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Texas.
Altafiber is a regional internet provider limited mostly to the Cincinnati metro area. Still, if you live in or near Cincinnati (specifically in parts of Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana), Altafiber is a competitive fiber internet option.
Our take – Similar to Kinetic, Ziply Fiber largely caters to suburban and rural areas, bringing fiber internet to communities that are often overlooked for fiber connections. Ziply Fiber service areas include parts of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, including the greater Portland and Seattle areas, plus a bit of Montana around the city of Libby.
Our take – When Lumen Technologies (CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber) sold a chunk of its network, most of it went to Connect Holding, the parent company of Brightspeed. The provider’s coverage area includes many markets formerly served by CenturyLink, including parts of Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, and much of Missouri, eastern North Carolina and central Ohio.
Our take – Fiber coverage from new ISP GoNetspeed is best in the Northeast, with Connecticut and Maine seeing the greatest availability. Service can also be found in Upstate New York, the greater Pittsburgh area, a small portion of Missouri and central Alabama between Birmingham and Huntsville.
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Top fiber internet providers compared
Please note that the plans below show each provider’s cheapest available tier. Overall, the best selection for you — and most cost-effective plan — might be a different tier that provides a faster speed at a higher price but a better value. To more fully understand this value-based approach, check out CNET’s guide to examining the cost per Mbps.
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Cable-first providers that offer fiber internet
Fiber is a top-tier technology when it comes to home internet. As a result, internet providers that traditionally used coaxial cable lines to run service have added fiber connections to their networks to keep up with industry demands.
Astound Broadband: Known for its low introductory rates, Astound offers fiber internet in most of its markets, albeit to a limited number of households. Austin, Chicago and Seattle have Astound’s greatest fiber coverage.
Optimum: With more than 2.7 million homes, mostly in the greater NYC area, serviceable for fiber internet, Optimum has the best fiber coverage of any cable-first provider. Parts of Texas and western North Carolina (former Suddenlink markets) may also be eligible for fiber service.
Spectrum: Spectrum has arguably the largest fiber network of any traditional cable ISP, with coverage in parts of 20 states, including Hawaii.
Xfinity: The nation’s largest cable provider also has a growing fiber network, although total coverage falls short of Optimum and Spectrum. Like Cox, Xfinity offers fiber internet in many of its markets, but actual availability is limited to select neighborhoods.
How to find fiber internet in your area
Because fiber networks are costly for fiber internet companies to create, you may not be eligible for fiber internet unless you leave close to a big city, where fiber networks already exist. ISP search tools, like the one on this page, are a great starting point for finding internet providers in your area, fiber or otherwise.
If you’re setting up internet in a new place, ask your neighbors (posts to Facebook neighborhood groups or Nextdoor are sure to get some responses) about which internet providers they use and why. Or, if you need internet for an apartment, check with the leasing office about available internet options for your home.
Keep in mind that a neighbor’s opinion may be relatively uninformed or biased, and a leasing office may have ulterior motives when recommending an internet provider. Be sure to do your own research when shopping for internet service.
How do I know if an internet provider is fiber?
Once you have an idea of the available internet providers in your area, there are a couple of surefire ways to distinguish a fiber provider from a non-fiber provider.
Many ISPs advertise a fiber product right in the name — AT&T Fiber, Frontier Fiber, Google Fiber, Quantum Fiber and even Verizon Fios indicate fiber service. Others, like Brightspeed or Kinetic, that don’t have fiber specifically in the name, may add fiber to the plan name. Kinetic plans, for example, are either “High-speed internet,” which is a DSL-based service, or “Fiber.”
Keep an eye out for cable providers that boast “fiber-rich” internet connections. A fiber-rich cable network uses some fiber to boost speeds, but it’s primarily coaxial cable. You can distinguish a fiber from a non-fiber provider through the speeds. Fiber is the only connection type capable of delivering symmetrical upload and download speeds. So if a plan offers the same (or close) upload and download speeds, it’s likely fiber.
Maximum available speeds may also point to a fiber connection. Cable and fiber are the only connection types that can reach multigigabit speeds, but maximum advertised speeds from cable reach at most 2,000Mbps, or 2 gigabits per second (Cox and Xfinity offer 2,000Mbps in select areas, Astound has a 1,500Mbps plan). Fiber, on the other hand, can reach much faster speeds, up to 5Gbps, 8Gbps or higher.
You can always ask a sales or customer service representative what connection type the internet provider uses.
How we chose the best available fiber ISPs
CNET’s broadband reviews and best lists often involve considering, researching and evaluating several different attributes, from availability and plan selection to service terms and customer satisfaction. To learn more, see our breakdown of how we review internet service providers.
For a list that focuses solely on availability such as the one above, coverage area and total units served are the biggest considerations.
Broadband maps and data from the Federal Communications Commission are our primary sources when determining an internet provider’s availability. Although imperfect, the data gives us a solid understanding of where an internet provider offers service and the connection type, such as fiber, they use.
Using FCC data, we identified fiber internet providers with multi-state availability and coverage of at least 0.3% of households (around 500,000 units) nationwide. Qualifying providers are featured in the best list above.
Fiber internet in my area FAQ
Why isn’t fiber internet available in more areas?
Fiber internet requires a direct fiber-optic line to the home or at least to a nearby hub where a coaxial cable will carry the connection the rest of the way. Fiber-optic cables aren’t cheap, nor is the process of installing them. Read our explainer on fiber internet to uncover more.
Deployment of new fiber lines takes time and typically occurs only in areas with high population density; locations where ISPs have a better chance of seeing a return on their investment.
When will fiber internet come to my area?
According to the FCC, fiber availability is improving, indicating fiber providers are expanding their networks and coverage areas. From December 2022 to December 2023, fiber availability rose from 38% nationwide to around 43%, representing an increase of around 10 million units.
Despite the improving availability, it’s difficult to say when you can expect to see fiber internet in your area. If you’re in a highly populated or growing area, particularly one with a local fiber provider or two, new fiber expansion may include your neighborhood in the near future.
Most fiber providers allow potential customers to sign up to receive notifications when service comes to their area. You may also be able to fill out a service request form to help promote expansion in your area.
Is fiber or 5G internet better?
Fiber internet has a faster speed potential, often with a better speed variety and superior reliability compared to 5G home internet. The only real advantage 5G has over fiber internet is availability, as the wireless delivery method has enabled providers such as T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet to rapidly enter and disrupt the broadband market.
So, 5G is more likely to be available than fiber internet, but if given the choice of the two, I would recommend fiber internet.
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