Best Internet Providers in Athens, Georgia

What is the best internet provider in Athens?

AT&T Fiber is the best internet provider in Athenswith the fastest speeds in the city, simple terms of service and high customer satisfaction scores. It is a bit more expensive than other internet providers in Athens, but prices do not automatically increase after a year or two, and you get significantly faster speeds.

If you want to pay the lowest possible price for reliable internet, Spectrum offers plans starting at just $50 per month. However, Spectrum’s standalone internet plans increase in price after a year, and renting a Wi-Fi router can add an extra $10 to your monthly bill. If you don’t want to worry about such caveats, T-Mobile Home Internet offers a transparent alternative. Everything is included in the $50 monthly bill, and your price is fixed for as long as you remain a customer.

Best internet in Athens, Georgia

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

Other available internet providers in Athens

• Satellite internet: Satellite is an option wherever you have a clear view of the southern sky, but it’s rarely your best option. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional satellite ISPs, and both have slow speeds, high monthly fees, and stingy data caps. Starlink is an ISP owned by SpaceX that uses low-Earth orbiting satellites to provide faster speeds, but you have to buy the equipment up front for $499.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon offers fixed wireless internet in Athens. It’s only available to 27% of households, but it’s worth considering if you can get it. Speeds go up to 1,000 Mbps, and you can pay a very low price if you bundle it with a Verizon mobile plan.

Cheap Internet Options in Athens

Athens residents have several good options for cheap internet. Spectrum, T-Mobile, and Verizon offer service starting at $50, but you’ll get faster speeds with Spectrum. If you don’t want to worry about a higher bill, T-Mobile Home Internet locks in your price for as long as you remain a customer.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Athens?

The best internet deals and top promotions in Athens depend on what discounts are available at the time. Most deals are short-lived, but we regularly search for the latest offers.

Internet providers in Athens, such as Spectrum, may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including T-Mobile Home Internet, maintain the same standard prices year-round.

For a more comprehensive overview of all offers, please consult our guide to the best online deals.

How fast is the broadband internet in Athens?

Five internet plans in Athens offer gig speeds (download speeds over 1,000 Mbps). That’s less than Atlanta (10 gig speed plans), but the same as Augusta and Greenville.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data.

What is a good internet speed?

Most internet plans now can handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that’s suitable for video conferencing, streaming video, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s a look at the recommended minimum download speeds for different applications, according to the FCCPlease note that these are guidelines only and that Internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, check out our guide to how much internet speed you really need.

• With 0 to 5 Mbps you can perform basic tasks: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality videos.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should be enough bandwidth for one person to meet the demands of modern teleworking, video streaming, and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one or two people can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming.
• With 500 to 1,000 Mbps, three or more people can participate in high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET Chose the Best Internet Providers in Athens

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen utensil, it’s impractical to personally test every Internet service provider in a given city. So how do we do it? To start, we use a proprietary price, availability, and speed database based on our own historical ISP data, partner data, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

This guide uses an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific ISPs that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check out CNET’s AI Policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.

Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC website to check the primary data ourselves and make sure we consider every ISP that offers service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we enter local addresses into provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. We look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is accurate as of our pre-publication fact check.

Once we have this localized information, we ask ourselves three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get value for their money?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answers to these questions are often multi-layered and complex, but the providers that come closest to yes on all three are the providers we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also consider things like price increases, equipment costs, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds, and consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla And FCC Reports.

Want to dive deeper into our process? Visit our How We Test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Athens?

Wherever you live in Athens, you should have access to a few good internet providers. AT&T Fiber is the best of the bunch, and it’s not exactly close. It has the fastest speeds and highest customer satisfaction scores of any provider in the area, and you don’t have to worry about price increases, data caps, or equipment costs. Spectrum is a solid backup option, but upload speeds are much slower and prices increase dramatically once the introductory rate expires. If you don’t want to worry about a rising bill, T-Mobile Home Internet’s main selling point is its simplicity: It costs $50-$70 per month (or less with a qualifying phone plan), comes with a Price Lock Guarantee, and includes all equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions about Internet Providers in Athens