Best Internet Providers in Santa Fe, New Mexico

What is the best internet provider in Santa Fe?

Xfinity is the best internet provider in Santa Fewith both the fastest and cheapest subscriptions in town. Plans start at $20 per month for 150 megabits per second and go up to $80 for the 1,200 Mbps plan. It’s available almost everywhere, but be prepared for your monthly bill to increase once you reach your second or third year of service.

If you don’t want to worry about these types of issues, T-Mobile guarantees that your price won’t increase as long as you keep the service, but the speeds may not be sufficient for households with many devices using the Internet at the same time. . NMSurf is a step down from Xfinity and T-Mobile, but still offers better value than CenturyLink’s satellite or DSL service.

Best internet in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other available internet providers in Santa Fe

• CenturyLink: CenturyLink only offers DSL plans in Santa Fe, which is considered a slower type of connection. Speeds go up to 100 Mbps, which is a good option for smaller households, but depending on your address this could be much lower. I’d still recommend going with NMSurf if you can’t get Xfinity or T-Mobile, but CenturyLink is a significant step up from the satellite providers.
• Satellite internet: Satellite providers like HughesNet and Viasat are typically reserved for rural areas without any other options and offer service all over Santa Fe, but there isn’t much to recommend about them. They’re more expensive than the other options, and slow speeds and data limits make things like streaming and video conferencing difficult. Starlink is a faster option with unlimited data, but costs $120 per month with an initial equipment cost of $499, which is now discounted to $299.
• Verizon 5G home internet: If it were more widely available, Verizon would easily be one of our top picks in Santa Fe. It offers some of the fastest speeds in the city at reasonable prices, but is currently only available to 9% of households.

Cheap Internet Options in Santa Fe

There are four internet plans available in Santa Fe for $50 per month or less. That’s less than nearby cities like Albuquerque and Colorado Springs. Xfinity’s Connect is currently the cheapest plan you can find at just $20 per month, but if you factor in the $15 monthly equipment fee, the 300 Mbps Connect More plan is the same price.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Santa Fe

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

Santa Fe internet providers like Xfinity may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including T-Mobile and NMSurf, charge the same standard prices all year round.

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

How fast is Santa Fe broadband?

Santa Fe residents don’t have as many high-speed internet plan options as other cities of its size. Only Xfinity and Verizon offer gig speeds, and the latter is only available to about 1 in 10 residents. Most homes can make do with a download speed of much less than 1,000 Mbps, although an upload speed of 40 Mbps can still be limiting for homes with video conferencing or online gaming with multiple people.

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, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should give a single user enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• With 100 to 500 Mbps, one to two users can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• With 500 to 1,000 Mbps, three or more users can simultaneously perform high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.

How CNET chose the best Internet providers in Santa Fe

Internet providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router, or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every Internet provider in a given city. What is our approach? To start, we use a proprietary database of pricing, availability, and speed information that is based on our own historical ISP data, partner data, and Federal Communications Commission mapping information on 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 go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data ourselves and make sure we are considering every ISP that provides service in a given 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, also taking 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. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our How We Test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on Internet providers in Santa Fe?

Santa Fe has limited internet options for a city of its size. Xfinity is by far the best internet provider: it offers both the cheapest and fastest plans in the area, and customers are generally satisfied with the service. If you can’t get Xfinity — or you’re just tired of price increases after the promotional period — T-Mobile is a solid backup option, with speeds up to 245 Mbps for a flat $50 per month. NMSurf is a step down from T-Mobile and Xfinity, but the local carrier still offers better value than DSL or satellite options.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Service Providers in Santa Fe