Best Internet Providers in Long Beach, California

What is the best internet provider in Long Beach?

Frontier Fiber is the best internet provider in Long Beachthat offers fast, symmetrical upload and download speeds, reasonable prices and unlimited data. Frontier Fiber signs deal with Spectrum for cheapest internet plan in Long Beachwith both providers starting at just $30 per month. Note that Frontier Fiber’s rates increase after the first year. If you don’t want to worry about a higher bill, T-Mobile Home Internet is another solid option in Long Beach, and your price is locked in for as long as you remain a customer. T-Mobile also offers some hefty discounts if you bundle your internet with qualifying cell phone plans, making it a fairly cheap option for current phone plan customers.

Best Internet in Long Beach, California

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data

Other available internet providers in Long Beach

• Satellite internet: Satellite internet is always an option, but it’s rarely the best option. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional satellite ISPs in the US, and both have slow speeds, stingy data caps, and high prices. Starlink is a newer option from SpaceX, and it improves on the speed front, but you’re still looking at a $120-a-month internet bill (plus $499 upfront to buy the satellite dish).
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon uses its cellular network to offer fixed wireless service in Long Beach. It’s not as widely available as T-Mobile — only 34% of residents can get it — but speeds top 1,000 Mbps and you can save by bundling with a qualifying Verizon Wireless plan.

Cheap Internet Options in Long Beach

There are several good options for cheap internet in Long Beach. Spectrum has three plans under $50 a month, but both cost double after 24 months. Frontier Fiber doesn’t have scheduled price increases like Frontier, but your price isn’t necessarily locked in either. T-Mobile is the only ISP in Long Beach that offers that advantage: your price stays the same for as long as you keep service.

Source: CNET analysis of carrier data

How to Find Online Deals and Promotions in Long Beach

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

Long Beach internet providers like Verizon may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many providers, including Frontier, T-Mobile Home Internet, and Spectrum, maintain the same standard prices year-round.

For a more comprehensive overview of offers and promotions, check out our guide to the best online deals.

How fast is the broadband internet in Long Beach?

According to a report from the University of California, Long Beach ranks 51st out of the 100 most populous cities in the US for internet speed. Ookla speed test results. Residents get median download speeds of 232 Mbps and upload speeds of nearly 40 Mbps. That’s faster than Anaheim, San Diego and Los Angeles, but slower than Santa Ana, San Bernardino and Irvine.

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 Federal Communications CommissionPlease 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 simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as videoconferencing, streaming, and online gaming.

How CNET Chose the Best Internet Providers in Long Beach

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 database of pricing, availability, and speed information 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?

While the answers to these questions are often multi-layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three questions are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, though 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 like 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 Long Beach?

Long Beach residents have a few good home internet options to choose from. Fiber internet is available to 2 out of 3 residents, almost entirely from Frontier Fiber. Fortunately, Frontier’s plans start at just $30 per month, much less than you would normally pay for the speed it offers. Spectrum offers cable internet to most of Long Beach, and its plans are even cheaper than Frontier’s, but be prepared to double your bill in year three. If you don’t want to deal with this headache, T-Mobile Home Internet guarantees that it will never raise your price.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Providers in Long Beach