List of the Largest Internet Companies in the USA
Ever since the internet emerged as an essential amenity, internet providers have been making endless efforts to ensure the provision of the best connectivity services. However, only a handful of providers have made it to the top rankings.
Finding a great and high-performance internet service provider is no easy feat. Mainly because there are a number of factors involved in proving that, an ISP is worth it. If a certain ISP offers massive coverage, it lacks at having a variety of speed tiers. If another offers no data caps, it services a very few states.
Taking into account all the aforementioned factors and challenges, we have shortlisted some of the best and the largest ISP’s in the country. This blog will consider factors like coverage, variety of speed tiers, data caps, customer satisfaction, and others. The following providers have qualified for this discussion:
- Charter Spectrum
- Comcast XFINITY
- CenturyLink
- Frontier Communications
- HughesNet
Charter Spectrum
One of the most trusted ISP’s in the country, Charter Spectrum offers extensive coverage across 44 states. According to an estimate, over 102.7 million Americans have access to Spectrum internet. This makes it the second-largest provider of residential cable internet in the country. It offers the greatest coverage in states of Texas, California, and New York.
In addition, Spectrum offers fiber-optic internet exclusively to businesses in over 5,899 zip codes.
Charter is known for its affordability clubbed with decent speeds. Another popular fact about the provider is that it has no data caps for any plan or speed tier you want to go for. This is a massive plus as it saves you from frustrating things like worrying about Mbps finishing and throttling.
You also get to have free antivirus software along with a free modem. However, the reviews and testimonials about their customer care service are not great. But still, not as bad as XFINITY’s. Charter also offers low-cost internet plans for low-income customers. You just need to meet certain eligibility requirements.
Comcast XFINITY
XFINITY offers substantial coverage to over 39 American states. According to an estimate, over 111.6 million Americans have access to their cable internet. This makes it the largest provider of residential cable internet in the United States.
Moreover, XFINITY is also a fiber-internet provider. Over 18,000 subscribers are benefiting from its blazing fast fiber internet services. The variety of speed tiers that the ISP offers is also impressive. The bandwidth speeds range from 15 Mbps to a whopping 2 Gbps.
To fit the connectivity needs of its prestigious subscribers and to not overburden their already-stretched budgets, XFINITY offers a good range of well-designed package options. You get to have the option of subscribing to them in clubbed or standalone formats. The clubbed options usually reap better savings.
The monthly pricing schedules range from affordable to slightly pricy; based on the package you go for. The only downside is the provider’s consistent mediocrity in the customer service department.
CenturyLink
CenturyLink is the third-largest provider of residential DSL internet. It offers its services in over 50 states, making them accessible to over 49.3 million people. The provider also offers fixed wireless, fiber, and copper internet services in addition to DSL.
More than 9.6 million subscribers are benefitting from CenturyLink’s fiber internet. This makes CenturyLink the 4th largest provider of fiber internet. Moreover, around 6,941 zip codes have access to their copper service.
The provider is popular for its inexpensive and budget-friendly options. You also get to have a plethora of internet-only plans, unlike other providers, which usually offer clubbed plans to make the deals more tempting. The speed tires are many with the highest being a 1Gbps.
Some plans come with consistent pricing as long as you want to keep it. For instance, the 100 Mbps plan. About the downsides, the speeds and services are a little inconsistent based on customer reviews. Accessing the maximum advertised speeds are not guaranteed.
In addition, the customer service is below average but this seems to be common among all the ISPs.
Frontier Communications
Frontier offers coverage to around 26 states. More than 30.5 million subscribers are benefitting from their DSL internet. This makes it the 5th largest provider of DSL internet in the states. In addition, it also offers copper and fiber internet services. The copper service is accessible in around 7 zip codes exclusively for businesses.
This aptly named provider has bravely taken the frontier of rural America. It has taken the initiative of offering cable, DSL, and fiber internet services to the areas, which have very few good options. The speed tier options are not many but it is a good option considering the rural settings.
Frontier offers FiOS packages exclusively in the states of California, Texas, and Florida.
HughesNet
A satellite internet provider, HughesNet has made to our list. The main reason has to be its substantial coverage across 50 states. It is accessible to over 308.7 million residents. HughesNet is the largest provider of residential satellite internet in the United States.
For rural customers, who don’t have access to any robust wired internet service, HughesNet is a great option. With the launch of the company’s Gen 5 upgrade, the provider is able to offer better speeds to its customers.
However, the provider comes with a few quirks. The bandwidth is inherently limited, mainly because of the technology constraints. In order to balance this, the provider offers one speed to all the customers. The data caps make satellite internet an expensive choice.
The binge hours with free 50GB data is offered in the early morning hours when everyone is asleep. The provider also offers minimum contract durations.
About the Author
Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.
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