Best Internet Providers in Arizona

Arizona has many great things going for it: saguaro cactuses, gorgeous mountains, Route 66, the thriving metropolis of Phoenix, quirky Tucson, scenic Flagstaff and date shakes in Dateland. Great home internet options are not common, however. Fiber is scarce, and most locations have little choice in internet service providers.

What is the best internet provider in Arizona?

CNET’s pick for the best internet provider in Arizona is CenturyLink. When it comes to Arizona, availability is a big issue. Certain providers only service particular regions of the state. You’ll find Sparklight and Frontier in the east, Xfinity around Tucson, and Cox in the south. Desirable fiber connections are limited, leaving many residents with DSL, cable or fixed wireless options. Our picks for the best ISPs are largely based on availability since even the fastest residential providers typically top out at 940 megabits per second in the Grand Canyon State.

Limited fiber availability means your best options might be Cox Communications, Optimum, Xfinity, or 5G home internet from Verizon or T-Mobile. Rural homes outside of wired internet reach will likely be looking at a local fixed wireless provider or satellite internet to get online.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Regarding wired internet for rural Arizona, your best bet will likely be an older network, like CenturyLink’s DSL service, our choice for the top rural ISP in the nation. It has a much broader reach than the company’s fiber offering but can still get you speeds up to 500 Mbps in some places. With plans running $55 a month, this is a good place to start in your search for rural internet. If that doesn’t work out, consider fixed wireless or satellite as an alternative.

Arizona is full of small fixed wireless ISPs, some of which we included in the chart above. Plug your address into the Federal Communications Commission National Broadband Map to see which ones service your area. Fixed wireless can sometimes be slow and expensive, but it’s better than no connection at all, and it may work out to be a better deal than satellite. Fixed wireless speeds can vary with location and distance. You need a clear line of sight to a tower. Plans vary quite a bit from provider to provider, with some starting at 10 Mbps speeds, which doesn’t even qualify as broadband in the eyes of the FCC. Others offer speeds as high as 150 Mbps in some areas, but the monthly price can increase to well over $100.

Some small providers are working to bring faster internet to underserved areas. AireBeam, for example, has been expanding its fiber network in Florence and Casa Grande and is introducing speeds up to 2,000 Mbps in some areas. Its fixed wireless service reaches rural parts of Pinal, Maricopa and Pima counties.

If both DSL and fixed wireless fail you, consider satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat or Hughesnet. You just need a clear view of the southern sky for it to work. Satellite equipment costs and monthly fees can be expensive and speeds aren’t always great, so start by considering DSL or fixed wireless options before you turn to satellite.

Arizona internet details at a glance

All households in Arizona have access to broadband speeds of at least 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up, per the FCC. That may sound a bit slow in an age of fast fiber, but it’s how the FCC defines broadband. Looking closer, the FCC says 84% of those residences can get broadband internet via wired networks like cable, DSL or fiber. The remaining households must rely on fixed wireless or satellite to get online.

When we look at fiber, the number drops considerably. Only about 16% of Arizona households have access to fiber with speeds of at least 250 Mbps. Check out the gig level, and we’re down to just 7%. Most of that scarce fiber can be found in the bigger metro areas like Phoenix and Tucson. The fast and affordable Quantum Fiber is our top choice for Phoenix, but availability is limited. If Arizonans have an internet wish list, the number one slot should read, “More fiber, please.”

Internet breakdown by city in Arizona

It’s hard to cover the broadband options of Arizona and give its cities the attention they deserve. That’s why we also compile lists of the best internet providers in cities across the US, including those in Arizona. We tackle details such as internet connection types, maximum speeds and cheapest providers. Check back later if you don’t find the location you’re looking for below, as we’re working to add more cities every week.

Internet speeds in Arizona

How does Arizona’s internet service stack up against the rest of the US? A recent Ookla ranking of US states put Arizona in 32nd place. The state logs a median download speed of around 199Mbps for fixed internet. Compare that to first place Rhode Island at about 257 Mbps. Cox gets the nod from Ookla for providing Arizona’s fastest downloads at a median of nearly 273 Mbps.

The FCC data shows nearly 87% of residences in Arizona can access speeds of at least 250 Mbps down. You’ll find that as an option from most of the major fixed internet providers, from Xfinity to Optimum to Cox to Quantum Fiber. If you sign up for a plan with at least 250 Mbps down, you’ll be ahead of the game nationally. Ookla shows the median download speed for the US as a whole comes in at about 248 Mbps.

There are other ways to improve your internet experience. You may be able to switch providers or sign up for a faster plan from your current ISP. Before you do that, follow these steps for faster Wi-Fi.

Internet pricing in Arizona

Choosing an internet plan is a balancing act between speed and budget. Most ISPs have plans starting around $50, but you may be able to squeeze in for less by agreeing to a contract, settling for a slower speed tier or lucking into a promotional deal. Many promo prices come with expiration dates. If you live in the Payson area, for example, Sparklight’s 300 Mbps plan costs just $45 a month, but the price goes up to $65 after one year.

Home internet from T-Mobile or Verizon can be a bargain if it works well at your location and you bundle service with an eligible phone plan. That brings the cost of T-Mobile internet service down to $40 a month and Verizon as low as $35 monthly. 

The lowest price isn’t always the best deal. CenturyLink’s Quantum Fiber will run you $75 for 940 Mbps (modem included), making it one of the country’s more affordable gig-level fiber plans. That’s a good balance between price and speed.

Internet for low-income households in Arizona

Connect Arizona, an initiative led by the Arizona State Library, maintains a list of low-cost internet plans and offers in the state. You can sort by connection type and search by location. For example, you’ll find Xfnity’s Internet Essentials Plus plan or Cox Communications’ ConnectAssist plan, both two of the most affordable options for low-income households.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Arizona

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to 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 the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there: We go to 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:

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 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, although 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 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.

The future of broadband in Arizona

Arizona has room to grow when it comes to broadband speeds and choices. Residents of some cities can look forward to fiber expansions coming their way. AT&T Fiber, a service that has topped many of our broadband recommendation lists, announced in 2022 it is expanding into Mesa, with the network expected to be up and running in 2023. AT&T is notable for its straightforward plans and speeds up to 5,000Mbps. Google Fiber opened up shop in the Westwood neighborhood of Mesa in March and is planning a move into Chandler. Wyyerd Fiber is building out its network in Gilbert.

Those fiber moves are good news for city dwellers, but Arizona is also pushing to improve internet connectivity for rural and underserved areas. The state can look forward to a nearly billion-dollar federal investment through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program. BEAD is aimed at expanding broadband access across the US. Fiber growth and more (and faster) rural options paint a positive picture for Arizona’s broadband future, but change can be slow.

Internet in Arizona FAQs