The best internet providers in Virginia

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What is the best internet provider in Virginia?

Virginia has impressive average internet speeds, largely due to its small selection of major service providers. Verizon stands out as the state’s top ISP, with its Fios service delivering an average speed of 235 megabits per second — and even faster speeds in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. That’s partly whyVerizon Fios is CNET’s first choice of the best Internet provider in Virginia. It should be an easy choice if you can access their excellent fiber service, especially available in Virginia cities and the Washington, DC area. If you are outside the coverage area for Verizon Fios, don’t worry. Virginia residents also have alternatives such as T-Mobile, Xfinity, Coxsatellite internet providers and smaller ISPs.

The best Internet options in Virginia

Rural Internet Options in Virginia

Supplier Type of connection Price range Speed ​​range Head of data The availability
Brightspeed DSL $50 Up to 40 Mbps Unlimited The Charlottesville area is along the southern border
Hughesnet
Read a full review
Satellite $50 – $90 15-100 Mbps 100-200GB Healthy state
T-Mobile Home Internet
Read a full review
Fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$55 with eligible phone plans) 72-245 Mbps No one Healthy state
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Read a full review
Fixed wireless $50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible phone plans) 50-1,000 Mbps No one Healthy state
Viasat
Read a full review
Satellite $50 – $300 25-100Mbps 40-300 GB Healthy state

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data

A big white road sign, "Virginia welcomes you," with a drawing of a red cardinal, at the Virginia state line.

Wellesenterprises/Getty Images

Virginia broadband at a glance

Virginia is for lovers of fast Internet speeds. The southern state previously had the distinction of having the the fastest Internet in the countryat an impressive average of 13.7 megabits per second. That was in 2014, and the state has come a long way since then. Old Dominion now sees an average download speed of about 214 Mbps, according to it Ooklaplacing a respectable 18th among the 50 and neighboring states Washington, DCin terms of internet speed. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

One of its cities fared even better on Ookla’s rankings, with Chesapeake ranking 2nd among the 100 most populous US cities with an average download speed of about 285 Mbps. Virginia Beach was in the top half at 31st with average speeds of about 246 Mbps. Norfolk can be found further down the rankings in 72nd place, with an average download speed of around 209 Mbps.

Every Virginian has access to an Internet speed of at least 25 Mbps, according to the Federal Communications Commission, but that’s likely because of the more expensive options from satellite Internet providers Hughesnet and Viasat. Speeds in the state are solid overall, with an average download speed of around 203 Mbps. Virginia likely gets a boost from about 45% of its households having access to fiber Internet with speeds of 250 Mbps (especially in cities like Chesapeake and Virginia Beach) and a much smaller portion of 10% that can access at speeds of 1,000 Mbps.

Internet breakdown by city in Virginia

It is difficult to cover the broadband options of an entire state and give individual areas the attention they deserve. That’s why we also compile lists of the best Internet providers in cities in the United States, including those in Virginia. We tackle details such as internet connection types, maximum speed and cheapest providers. Check back later if you don’t find the city you’re looking for below. We are working to add more locations every week.

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Internet prices in Virginia

The starting price for internet service in Virginia will vary depending on where you live, with people in rural areas forced to pay a premium for slower speeds. For a ballpark figure, expect to pay about $50 per month to be online, but cheaper plans are available from Xfinity. Existing customers of certain T-Mobile or Verizon plans can get discounted rates on theirs 5G home internet offers.

The future of broadband in Virginia

More Virginians will have access to high-speed internet soon, WDBJ reports, thanks to a investment of $1.4 billion from the federal government’s broadband equity, access and deployment program. The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration estimates that 364,156 Virginia homes and small businesses lack access to high-speed internet, but is this number accurate? The FCC wants input from Virginians, he said Virginia Mercury. Separately, Verizon announced that it will install more than 120 miles of fiber optic cables in Caroline County and Greensville County, extending access to 3,000 households and businesses. WRIC reports.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Virginia

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latter smartphones, laptop, router o kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information based on our historical ISP data, provider sites, and mapping information from FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure to consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also gather local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To gauge how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

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

  • Does the provider offer access to a reasonably fast internet speed?
  • Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
  • Are customers happy with their service?

While the answer to these questions is often layered and complex, the providers who are closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our page how we test the ISP.

Internet in Virginia FAQs

Does Virginia have good internet?

It depends on where you live, but many Virginians can access good internet. The average download speed is about 203 Mbps, according to Ooklaplacing Virginia in a respectable 20th place among the 50 states and the nearby District of Columbia in terms of internet speed. You can access high-speed fiber internet if you live in a city, especially Chesapeake, Richmond and Virginia Beach.

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Is there fiber internet in Virginia?

Yes. About 45% of Virginians have access to fiber internet, thanks to Verizon Fiosand (less) Ting, the latter of which is only available in Alexandria and Charlottesville. Fios is more widely available, but only in the eastern part of the state.

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Is Verizon or Xfinity Better for Internet in Virginia?



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