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Find internet service and providers in North Carolina

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Overview of internet satisfaction and availability in North Carolina

North Carolina has more internet providers spread out from the frigid mountains to the feet-burning shores than you can shake a stick at. AT&T and Spectrum are your top providers, offering fast fiber internet complemented by DSL (AT&T) or cable (Spectrum) internet. If you want superfast speeds, Google Fiber reaches up to 5Gbps in The Triangle and Charlotte. Other options include Verizon and T-Mobile 5G Home internet, HughesNet and Viasat satellite internet, and DSL internet from Kinetic, Brightspeed, and Frontier.

Internet providers received an average satisfaction rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars from customers in North Carolina.

That ranks North Carolina 29th nationwide for internet customer satisfaction.

Learn more about our methodology

Internet customer satisfaction in North Carolina

 3.7/5 average customer satisfaction rating
 29th national ranking for customer satisfaction

$69.73 average price per payment for internet, per household

84.7% of the time, advertised speeds meet household needs

3.7/5 average customer service rating of internet services

3.6/5 average reliability rating of services state-wide

Population:
10,807,491 people

2.62 average people per household

$56,396 average income per household

43 average age per household

54% of population employed

92

7% higher than national average

Ranked 2nd nationally

80

6% higher than national average

Ranked 30th nationally

96%

11% higher than national average

Ranked 45th nationally

84%

7% higher than national average

Ranked 9th nationally

Average download speed
124.4 Mbps

8.78% lower than national average
Ranks 30th nationally

Average upload speed
48.6 Mbps

16.53% lower than national average
Ranks 33rd nationally
Compare your speed to the North Carolina average with our Speed Test.
If you’re looking for additional information about HighSpeedInternet.com or the products, services and trends we write about, please reach out to us at press@highspeedinternet.com.

Fastest internet providers in North Carolina

Provider Avg download speed Avg upload speed Availability Order online
Hotwire Communications 233.53 Mbps 103.69 Mbps 50% View Plans for Hotwire Communications
Google Fiber 227.9 Mbps 184.26 Mbps 58.73%
Ting 213.79 Mbps 183.55 Mbps 43.16% View Plans for Ting
MetroNet 189.11 Mbps 188.05 Mbps 52.22% View Plans for MetroNet
96% of people in North Carolina have access to 100Mbps or faster broadband, ranking 44th nationally.

Internet by tech type

Internet tech type Avg download speed % of people with access % availability Learn more
5G Home 270.91 Mbps 94.75% 89.34% See all providers for 5G Home
Cable 930.52 Mbps 94.71% 91.54% See all providers for Cable
DSL 371.46 Mbps 73.12% 78.08% See all providers for DSL
Fiber 3053.65 Mbps 79.91% 73.11% See all providers for Fiber
Fixed Wireless 87.61 Mbps 22.83% 66.16% See all providers for Fixed Wireless
LTE Home 99.01 Mbps 28.8% 98.98% See all providers for LTE Home
Satellite 99.54 Mbps 96.31% 100% See all providers for Satellite

Best cities for internet in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina with the fastest internet

City Avg download speed Avg upload speed Fiber availability Fastest provider
Kannapolis 273.78 Mbps 33.29 Mbps 58% Hotwire Communications
Burlington 258.09 Mbps 56.96 Mbps 53% North State Communications
Morrisville 232.83 Mbps 156.05 Mbps 71% Google Fiber
Newton 214.75 Mbps 18.83 Mbps 50% Spectrum
Advance 209.89 Mbps 155.7 Mbps 100% Spectrum
Huntersville 197.78 Mbps 105.98 Mbps 81% Windstream
Havelock 189.59 Mbps 14.93 Mbps 63% Spectrum

Kannapolis is the best city in North Carolina for internet, shooting to the top of the list thanks to a combination of record-setting average download speeds, wide fiber-optic internet availability, and the presence of a reliable and well-rated internet provider. Burlington and Morrisville also earn top rankings, according to our data.

The most connected cities in North Carolina

City Population Percent with access to high speed internet Percent with access to fiber internet Percent with access to 3+ providers
Charlotte 923,655 100% 100% 100%
Raleigh 555,041 100% 100% 100%
Greensboro 330,277 100% 100% 100%
Winston-Salem 229,338 100% 100% 100%
Durham 294,960 100% 100% 100%
Asheville 134,341 100% 100% 100%
Fayetteville 246,145 100% 100% 100%
Cary 156,204 100% 100% 100%

Charlotte is the most internet-connected city in North Carolina. Charlotte makes it to the top of the list due to the high number of its residents who have access not only to high-speed internet, but also to fiber internet specifically. A large number of Charlotte's residents also have access to three or more internet providers—an uncommon number of options compared to the rest of the state. Raleigh and Greensboro also make it to the top of our list.

Top cities in North Carolina

Charlotte

Population: 923,655

Median income: $72,619

142.74 Mbps
avg. download speed

58.22 Mbps
avg. upload speed

100% have access to high speed internet

100% have access to fiber internet

100% have access to 3 or more providers

Fastest ISP
Cogent Communication

Raleigh

Population: 555,041

Median income: $74,737

166.45 Mbps
avg. download speed

93.69 Mbps
avg. upload speed

100% have access to high speed internet

100% have access to fiber internet

100% have access to 3 or more providers

Fastest ISP
Cogent Communication

Greensboro

Population: 330,277

Median income: $68,792

166.27 Mbps
avg. download speed

54.77 Mbps
avg. upload speed

100% have access to high speed internet

100% have access to fiber internet

100% have access to 3 or more providers

Fastest ISP
Cogent Communication

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Methodology

HighSpeedInternet.com relies on proprietary and exclusive data to analyze the customer and provider trends presented on this page. We analyze millions of results from our speed test tool to determine average statewide speeds, fastest speeds, and availability. Our annual customer satisfaction survey provides us with data for developing the satisfaction rating. We also draw from data provided to us directly by internet providers to determine available tech types and average speeds.

North Carolina FAQs

Is Spectrum available in my area?

Spectrum is probably available where you live. Most older neighborhoods have Spectrum’s cable internet, while newer ones may have Spectrum’s fiber-to-the-home internet service. You won’t know which internet type you’ll get until you call to order service. The plans are the same for fiber and cable, only fiber has symmetrical (equal) speeds, and cable doesn’t.

What are the best internet providers in North Carolina?

Earthlink is the best national provider in North Carolina for overall customer satisfaction based on our annual survey. You’ll find it wherever AT&T offers fiber and DSL internet, which ranks fourth in our survey for overall satisfaction. Verizon (5G Home) ranks second on our list, followed by Spectrum (cable and fiber).

On a regional level, Google Fiber ranks highest in our survey, followed by T-Mobile 5G Home Internet.

What internet is available at my address?

The only way to find out what type of internet you have at your address is to use our zip check tool to discover all the providers in your area and then supply your street address to the provider you choose. But, if you see traditional cable TV lines in your home, you likely have access to cable internet. DSL internet uses telephone lines, and fiber uses Ethernet and thin fiber cables.

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