Internet Providers in Atlanta, GA

People who live in the capital of the Peach State are lucky to have access to a number of wired internet providers in Atlanta. It may surprise you to learn that Atlanta was ranked as America's most wired city for many years (beating out Seattle and San Francisco) and has consistently appeared in the top ten in years since. That may be because it is home to the regional headquarters of brands like Verizon and AT&T, making it the communications hub for the southeastern United States. It also has a thriving tech startup scene.

Overall, more than 97% of the city's residential internet users access the web with a high speed broadband connection. However, the average bandwidth customers receive is just 9 Mbps - which is above the state average but quite a bit slower than the national average.

The Types of Wired Internet Providers in Atlanta

Nearly all Atlanta residents have access to satellite internet, but most choose to get their internet signal from companies specializing in wired broadband. Internet providers in Atlanta typically offer either DSL (a type of broadband delivered over copper phone lines) or cable internet (which delivers a signal over the existing coaxial cable TV infrastructure). There are pros and cons to both technologies. Because Atlanta is a DSL hub, customers who choose this type of broadband will receive a very stable signal and higher speeds than those far outside the city. Cable is usually the faster option, but it can get laggy during peak use hours.

Fiber internet, which is a super high speed type of broadband that uses bundles of thin glass filaments to deliver a signal, is a great choice for heavy internet users but is not available in all of Atlanta. The good news is that coverage is expanding year by year, and if fiber broadband isn't in your neighborhood yet, it probably will be soon.

What are the High Speed Internet Providers in Atlanta?

There are more than 10 wired internet providers in Atlanta offering residential service to customers and a lot more specializing in business broadband. None of these ISPs service the entire city, but the two main providers - Xfinity from Comcast and AT&T - do cover the majority of Atlanta. Both of these companies offer bundled packages as well as internet-only packages, though customers often have to call to specifically request the latter. Charter also services Atlanta, and there are smaller business broadband providers like Windstream that fill in the gaps in commercial areas where big providers don't offer service or are less reliable.

As you compare ISPs, think about your household's needs. Yomura Fiber provides fixed wireless service to residents in Atlanta and is also the city's only net neutral fiber broadband provider, which means it has pledged never to slow down or block sites due to content or competition. Atlantic Nexus is known for its stellar customer service, while AT&T and Xfinity both offer gigabit speeds. Need a budget-friendly plan? Xfinity also has internet-only packages starting at $29.99.

Will Google Fiber Ever Come to Atlanta?

A few years back, Atlanta residents were thrilled to hear that Google Fiber was coming to the city with its free residential packages, but the two-year rollout was plagued by a series of delays and excitement turned to frustration. Google had pledged to help close the digital divide in Atlanta by offering discounted or free broadband to low-income residents, but that, too, was delayed. Eventually, Google started servicing certain neighborhoods with a $50 per month fiber plan, but by then they were no longer the only provider in town. Comcast and AT&T had expanded and enhanced their networks and started offering gigabit packages of their own, which was bad news for Google but great news for people who were waiting for faster internet to come to Atlanta.

How to Choose Between Internet Providers in Atlanta

Comparing broadband plans isn't easy because they can look so similar at first glance. The best thing you can do when looking at packages offered by internet providers in Atlanta is make sure your research includes information from unbiased sources like BroadbandSearch. It's easy to get hooked into too big or overly expensive plans when ISPs lure you in with limited time only deals. BroadbandSearch makes it easy to find the real cost of broadband plans in Atlanta so you can make the smartest possible choice.