Best Internet Providers in Athens, Georgia

What is the best internet provider in Athens?

AT&T Fiber is the best internet provider in Athensboasts the fastest speeds in the city, simple terms of service, and high customer satisfaction. It’s slightly more expensive than other internet service providers in Athens, but the price won’t automatically increase after a year or two, and you’ll get significantly faster speeds.

If you want reliable internet at the lowest possible price, Spectrum offers plans starting at $50 per month. However, the price of Spectrum’s standalone internet plans increases after the first year, and renting a Wi-Fi router can add an extra $10 to your monthly fee. If you don’t want to deal with such terms, T-Mobile Home Internet offers a transparent alternative: everything is included in the $50 per month fee, and the price remains fixed for as long as you’re a customer.

Best Internet in Athens, Georgia

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other Internet Providers available in Athens

• Satellite Internet: Satellite is an option if you have a clear view of the southern sky, but it’s rarely the best choice. HughesNet and Viasat are traditional satellite ISPs that suffer from slow speeds, high monthly fees, and heavy data caps. Starlink is SpaceX’s internet provider that uses low-orbit satellites to offer faster speeds, but requires you to buy 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 have access to it. Speeds are up to 1,000Mbps, and when combined with a Verizon cell phone plan, it’s available at a very low price.

Cheap Internet Options in Athens

Athens residents have a few cheap internet options: Spectrum, T-Mobile and Verizon offer service starting at $50, with faster speeds available with Spectrum. If you don’t want to worry about rising rates, T-Mobile Home Internet locks in your rate for as long as you’re a customer.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to Find Internet Deals and Promotions in Athens

The best internet sales and best promotions in Athens depend on the discounts available at the time. Most sales are short-lived, but we are frequently on the lookout for the latest sales.

Athens internet providers, like Spectrum, may offer low introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time, while others, like T-Mobile Home Internet, offer the same standard prices all year long.

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

What are the broadband speeds in Athens?

In Athens, five internet plans offer giga speeds (download speeds of 1,000 Mbps or more), which is less than Atlanta (10 giga speed plans) but the same as Augusta and Greenville.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans are now capable of handling basic productivity and communications tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can handle video conferencing, streaming video, and gaming, a more robust connection will give you a better experience. Here’s a summary of recommended minimum download speeds for various applications: According to the FCCPlease note that these are only guidelines and internet speeds, services and performance will vary depending on your connection type, provider and address.

For more information, check out our guide on how fast internet speed you really need.

• 0-5Mbps will do the basics like browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5-40Mbps allows for higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40-100 Mbps provides enough bandwidth for a single person to meet the demands of modern work-from-home, video streaming, and online gaming.
• At 100-500 Mbps, one or two people can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities like video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming.
• At 500-1,000Mbps, three or more people can simultaneously participate in high-bandwidth activities.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Athens

Internet service providers are numerous and vary by region. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptops, routers, or kitchen tools, it’s not practical to personally test every Internet service provider in a given city. How do we approach this? First, we leverage our proprietary price, availability, and speed database. This database is derived from our own historical ISP data, partner data, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC.gov).

This guide is powered by an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP. The tool is trained on our writing and uses our database to generate content about specific Internet Service Providers. This content is available to our writers when deciding and presenting suggestions for the guide. For more information about how our team uses (or doesn’t use) AI tools, please review CNET’s AI policy.

Our database is not comprehensive, so we visit the FCC website to independently verify primary data and make sure we’re considering all ISPs that offer service in your area. Plans and pricing also vary by location, so enter your local address into provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. We look at sources like the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to rate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and pricing are subject to frequent change. All information provided is accurate as of the time of fact-checking prior to publication.

Once you have the localized information, there are three main questions to ask:

1. Does your provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are your customers getting value for what they pay?
3. Are your customers satisfied with your service?

The answers to these questions are often complicated and complex, but the provider that comes closest to a “yes” to all three questions is the one we recommend. When choosing the cheapest Internet service, look for the plan with the lowest monthly price, but also consider factors such as price escalation, equipment fees, and contracts. Choosing the fastest Internet service is relatively simple: look at the advertised upload and download speeds and consider actual speed data from sources such as: Okura and FCC Report.

To learn more about our process, check out our “How We Test ISPs” page.

What is the final conclusion about internet providers in Athens?

No matter where you live in Athens, you’re sure to have access to several good internet providers. AT&T Fiber is the best of them all, and it’s not far behind. It offers the fastest speeds of any provider in the area, has the highest customer satisfaction, and you don’t have to worry about price increases, data caps, or equipment fees. Spectrum is a reliable backup option, but it has much slower upload speeds and a significant price increase once the introductory fee expires. If you don’t want to worry about rising prices, T-Mobile Home Internet’s main selling point is its simplicity. At $50-70 per month (or less on eligible phone plans), it comes with a price lock-in guarantee, and all equipment is included.

Frequently asked questions about Internet providers in Athens