Best Internet Providers in Bend, Oregon

What is the best internet provider in Bend?

Bend may lack variety in internet providers, but after careful research, our CNET experts came to the conclusion TDS Broadband stands out as the best choice in BendOregon. It offers the fastest speeds in the region, along with reliable service and a range of plans to meet different needs.

If your need for speed is more moderate, T-Mobile Home Internet is a solid backup choice, thanks to its affordability. Plans with speeds up to 245 Mbps start at $50 per month. If other options aren’t available, Starlink and CenturyLink offer good backup choices, although their speeds and prices may be on the higher side.

Best Internet in Bend, Oregon, for 2024

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Bend

• Fixed wireless: A few regional fixed wireless networks in Bend are worth considering. Blue Mountain Networks, PrineTime And Webformix they all operate in the region, but none of them are great options, and you’ll have to fill out a form to see which plans are available at your address. American mobile is a national fixed wireless provider that’s available almost everywhere in Bend, but the company doesn’t say what speeds you can expect.
• Satellite internet: In addition to Starlink, HughesNet and Viasat offer satellite internet services in Bend. You don’t have to pay the $499 up front to buy the satellite dish, but both require a two-year contract, charge monthly equipment fees, and offer slower speeds than Starlink.

Cheap Internet Options in Bend

There are a few cheap internet options in Bend, but several have slow speeds or data limits that they aren’t much good for other than checking your email or browsing web pages. T-Mobile Home Internet is your best choice for cheap internet in Bend for $50 per month.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Here’s how to find internet deals and promotions in Bend

The best internet deals and top promotions in Bend depend on what discounts are available during that time period. Most offers are short-lived, but we regularly review the latest offers.

Bend Internet providers such as T-Mobile Home Internet may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. However, many, including CenturyLink, Starlink and US Cellular, have the same standard prices year-round.

For a more comprehensive list of promos, check out our guide to the best internet deals.

Fastest Internet Plans in Bend, Oregon

In general, the internet in Bend is extremely slow. According to the FCC, only 8% of residents have access to 250/25 Mbps speeds, compared to 84% from Oregon And 88% of the US. TDS is the fastest option, but as with all cable internet plans, upload speeds are much slower than downloading.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is a good internet speed?

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

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

• With 0 to 5 Mbps you can handle the basics: surfing the web, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should give one person enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one to 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 simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Bend

Internet providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what is our approach? To start, we use a proprietary database of price, availability, and speed information that is based on our own historical ISP data, partner data, and card information from FCC.gov.

This guide uses an internal 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 choices for a particular guide . For more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools, see CNET’s AI policy.

Because our database is not exhaustive, we use the FCC’s website to self-check the primary data and ensure we are accounting for every ISP providing 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 to sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; All information provided is accurate at the time of our pre-publication fact check.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably high internet speeds?
2. Do customers get a good price for what they pay?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

Although the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, we recommend the providers who come closest to ‘yes’ to all three questions. When it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly payment, but we also take into account things like price increases, equipment costs and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla And FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our page on how we test ISPs.

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

There’s a lot to like about living in Bend, but good internet isn’t one of them. TDS (formerly Bend Broadband) is the best option by default: it is the only fixed internet service available everywhere in the city. While the speeds are plenty fast for most homes, TDS increases prices significantly after the promotional period ends, and a few annoying fees add to the monthly bill. T-Mobile Home Internet and Starlink are good backup options, but both are more susceptible to outages.

Frequently asked questions about internet providers in Bend