The best Internet providers in Mobile, Alabama

What is the best mobile internet provider?

The best internet provider in Mobile, Alabama is AT&T Fiber. It is reliable for most people with its 100% fiber optic connection that offers fast and symmetrical upload and download speeds – the fastest in Mobile at 5,000 Mbps. AT&T also offers straightforward pricing and simple service terms that include it unlimited datafree equipment rental and no contract requirements.

Considering the speed and benefits, AT&T Fiber is an excellent value, but it isn’t Internet the cheapest available in the area. If you are looking for something cheaper, the plan 250Mbps from Mediacom starts at $20 a month. This provider also offers the lowest introductory rate high speed gig servicestarting at $60 monthly.

Technically, Verizon 5G Home Internet It could offer a cheaper Internet in Mobile. Its Home Plus plan advertises speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps at the discounted rate of $45 per month (regularly $70) for qualified Verizon mobile customers. Actual speeds will vary, between 85 and 1,000 Mbps, depending on your location.

T-Mobile Home Internet offers a similar discount for customers on its Magenta Max plan, but it doesn’t match Verizon’s 5G Home Internet speed potential. The service starts at $50 per month, or $30 with the bundle discount, for speeds ranging from 72 to 245 Mbps.

The best Internet on Mobile

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find offers and promotions Internet in Mobile

The best deals on the Internet and the best promotions on Mobile depend on what discounts are available at that time. Most offers are short-lived, but we often look for the latest offers.

Mobile Internet providers like Xfinity may offer a lower introductory price or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T and Mediacom, run the same standard price annually.

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

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What is a good internet speed?

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

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed do you really need.

• From 0 to 5 Mbps lets you tackle the basics: Internet browsing, sending and receiving email, and low-quality video streaming.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you superior video streaming and video conferencing.
• From 40 to 100 Mbps should give a user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allows one to two users simultaneously to engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000 Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET picked the best Mobile Internet providers

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latter smartphones, laptop, router o kitchen toolit is not practical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability, and speed information based on our ISP historical data, provider sites, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also gather local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to evaluate how happy 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 publication.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to a reasonably fast internet speed?
2. Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

The answer to these questions is often layered and complex, the providers who are closer to “yes” in all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to selecting the cheapest Internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts Choosing the fastest Internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also take into account actual 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 how we test the ISP page

Internet Providers in Mobile FAQ