Business Internet Providers Los Angeles

Business Internet Providers Los Angeles

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Best Internet Providers in Los Angeles

The City of Angels is the second-largest metropolitan area in the US, so it's natural to feel overwhelmed. Let CNET help you navigate your broadband options.

Trey Paul is a CNET senior editor covering broadband. His 20+ years of experience as a writer and editor include time at CNET's sister site, Allconnect, and working with clients like Yahoo!, Google, The New York Times and Choice Hotels. An avid movie fan, Trey's career also includes being a film and TV critic while pursuing a degree in New York.

Expertise

Home internet and broadband, including plans, providers, internet speeds and connection types. Movies and film studies.

Credentials

Master's degree in Cinema Studies from NYU and interviews with Conan O'Brien, Stan Lee and some of his biggest Star Trek childhood idols

Los Angeles is a great city for professionals with a passion for entertainment. No matter what type of person you are, you need a strong internet connection for work or to stream your favorite show. LA is home to more internet providers than most cities, so you've got no shortage of options to choose from.

Shop around and you'll find broadband choices from fast fiber providers like AT&T and Frontier, reliable cable connections from Cox and Spectrum, the growing availability of 5G home internet from Verizon and T-Mobile and more.

That said, Los Angeles internet speeds are somewhat bogged down by DSL networks, which major providers like AT&T and Frontier still use. Per Ookla's Q4 2022 reporting, Los Angeles placed as only the 66th fastest city among the top 100 metro areas in the US. 

It scored a median download speed of just over 190 megabits per second and a median upload speed of nearly 17Mbps. Comparing that to just some of the cities CNET has covered thus far, San Antonio and Austin were in the top 10 on the list (both with median download speeds above 235Mbps), and the country's most populous metro area, New York, made the top 35. That said, it's also not in the bottom 10, like Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Seattle. 

In addition to fiber, cable and DSL options, Los Angeles is home to several third-party providers -- including EarthLink, EIN and Ultra Home Internet -- which offer service using the networks of some providers listed below, like AT&T and Spectrum. We won't get into those, nor the ever-available HughesNet and Viasat, since all Los Angeles addresses should have faster and more flexible alternatives than satellite internet. 

Best ISPs in the City of Angels

Which companies are the best internet providers in Los Angeles? Our pick for the best ISP in LA is AT&T Fiber. If you want a better understanding of how we came to that conclusion, keep reading. Whether you're looking for the best internet speed or the lowest monthly price, we've tracked down info on the internet service providers in the area so you can pick the option that works best for you.

A phone showing the AT&T logo on its screen

Sarah Tew/CNET

AT&T Fiber

Best internet provider in Los Angeles

Check availability

Call (844) 653-0377

PRODUCT DETAILS

Price range

$55 - $180 per month

Speed range

300 - 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Highlights

Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

I almost put an asterisk by this because not all AT&T serviceability areas in Los Angeles can get AT&T Fiber. In some cases, you might have to settle for AT&T Internet, a copper DSL service that is not nearly as compelling and, in some areas, might have a top speed of 10Mbps. DSL is so old news that during an AT&T investor day event in March 2022, the company announced a commitment to reduce its copper footprint by 50% by 2025. 

But back to AT&T Fiber. It offers excellent value. Most AT&T Fiber households in Los Angeles are eligible for its three main plans -- 300Mbps, 500Mbps or 1,000Mbps -- and a growing number are becoming serviceable for its fastest options, a 2 gigabits per second plan and a 5Gbps tier, which is the fastest residential plan you can find in Tinseltown. All AT&T Fiber plans feature symmetrical upload and download speeds, no data caps, no term agreements and no equipment rental fee. Read our AT&T home internet review.

Check AT&T Fiber availability

Call (844) 653-0377

Spectrum logo on a phone

Sarah Tew/CNET

Spectrum

Best availability among Los Angeles internet providers

Check availability

Call (833) 418-0375

PRODUCT DETAILS

Price range

$50 - $90 per month

Speed range

300 - 940Mbps

Connection

Cable

Highlights

Unlimited data, simple pricing, no contracts, modem included, free access to nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots

Charter Communications' broadband service is available to nearly every neighborhood in Los Angeles (the Palos Verdes Peninsula and a few scattered pockets notwithstanding) and brings with it some of the most straightforward terms to be found from a cable internet provider. There are no term agreements, no early termination fees and no data limits. It also includes the modem in the monthly costs (though you'll need to add $5 a month if you want a Wi-Fi router). 

As a cable internet provider, Spectrum won't be able to match the symmetrical speeds of a fiber ISP, but its three speed tiers -- featuring download speeds of 300, 500 and 940Mbps -- should be more than adequate for most customers. So, it may not have the splashy multigigabit option like some AT&T areas, but Spectrum customers can lean on the consistency of the service throughout the city. Read our Spectrum review.

Check Spectrum Internet availability

Call (833) 418-0375

Starry logo on a phone

Sarah Tew/CNET

Starry Internet

Best fixed wireless internet service in Los Angeles

Check availability

Call (833) 615-8379

PRODUCT DETAILS

Price range

$30 - $80 per month

Speed range

50 - 1,000Mbps

Connection

Fixed wireless

Highlights

Unlimited data, no contracts, no equipment fees, simple setup

Starry Internet was riding high after being named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2022. But by December 2022, it hit a bit of a speed bump with the New York Stock Exchange. Nevertheless, Starry strives to put the customer first by making high-speed internet affordable and hassle-free. It uses similar millimeter-wave technology as 5G to deliver high-speed broadband to customers' homes.

For the Los Angeles market, Starry Internet coverage includes some of downtown Los Angeles, as well as Beverly Hills, Burbank, Long Beach and Santa Monica. Most customers will have access to Starry's 200Mbps tier for $50. But some areas might be able to sign up for Starry Connect -- its low-cost internet access program for $15 (which customers could get for free through the government's Affordable Connectivity Program) -- or Starry Gigabit, which boasts 1Gbps download and 500Mbps upload speeds for $80. Read our Starry home internet overview.

Check Starry Internet availability

Call (833) 615-8379

Overview of the best internet providers in Los Angeles

Provider Internet technology Monthly price range Speed range Equipment costs Data cap Contract CNET review score

AT&T DSL/fiber $55-$180 10-5,000Mbps None None None 7.4

Cox Cable $50-$120 100-1,000Mbps $13/month (skippable) 1.25TB Not required, but needed for lowest promo rate 6.2

Frontier DSL/fiber $50-$155 9-5,000Mbps None None None 6.3

Spectrum Cable $50-$120 300-940Mbps None None None 7.2

Starry Fixed wireless $15-$80 50-1,000Mbps None None None 7

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Other available Los Angeles internet providers

There are other ISPs in the City of Angels beyond our top three picks for the best internet providers in Los Angeles. In some cases, they may be available to only small portions of LA but might be a viable choice for one reason or another. 

Cox: Although it's one of the country's biggest cable internet providers, Cox has a relatively small footprint in the Los Angeles metro area. It's solely available in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Starting prices for plans begin at $50 per month for 100Mbps download and go up to $80 per month for its gigabit option. 

Frontier: Frontier has a notable presence in the Los Angeles market. In fact, according to Ookla's most recent data, Frontier is the area's fastest provider on average, at approximately 266Mbps download speed. Its DSL and fiber-optic service are scattered throughout the area, including some of Beverly Hills, Long Beach, the San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica and portions of western LA. Similar to our guidance on AT&T, if Frontier's DSL service is the only option at your address, seek other alternatives. But if Frontier Fiber is available -- which has options for 500Mbps up to 5Gbps symmetrical speeds starting at $60-$155 per month -- you'd be hard-pressed to find a better option.

Race Communications: Like Cox, Race Communications has a fairly small piece of the pie in the Los Angeles market. It's mainly situated in Marina del Rey, Playa Vista and Santa Monica. But unlike Cox, and all other providers listed here, it's a 100% fiber-optic service. There are two plan options: $25 a month for 25Mbps, or Gig service for a very affordable $60 monthly.

Sonic Telecom: This ISP is mainly known for offering service in the Bay Area. But Angelenos can find Sonic service in a handful of neighborhoods, including Beverly Hills, Glendale, Inglewood, Pasadena and West Hollywood. Although Sonic is known for building 100% fiber networks, much of its offering in the LA market is older DSL, and most of its fiber service in the area currently utilizes AT&T's fiber network. 

T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Mobile's fixed wireless home internet solution uses its 5G and 4G LTE networks to get customers online at an average download speed between 33-182Mbps. It's appealing for its simplicity: $50 a month covers all equipment, taxes, installation fees and services. There are no data caps and no contracts required. Although it's technically available throughout the Los Angeles metro area, you'll need to plug in your address on the T-Mobile site to see if you're serviceable. 

Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, this is a fixed wireless home internet option. But unlike T-Mobile, Verizon leans more heavily on its Ultra Wideband 5G technology, so its average download speeds are higher, around 300Mbps. It also features an all-in price that covers taxes, installation fees and equipment, but splits the cost into two buckets: $50 a month for a two-year price-lock guarantee, or $70 a month for a three-year price-lock and additional perks.  

Los Angeles skyline at sunset

Citizen of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Los Angeles internet details at a glance

It's one thing to get an overview of the best internet providers in Los Angeles. But the questions we get most often revolve around finding the cheapest internet plans or the fastest possible options. So, let's drill down more specifically on those two areas in a moment.

Broadband availability

3,792,653

people have access to broadband internet of any type

1 provider - 99%

2 providers - 96%

3 providers - 24%

4 providers - 4%

Source: FCC

Most available internet technology

Cable - 99%

DSL - 98%

Fiber - 32%

Source: FCC

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Los Angeles internet pricing

The average starting price for internet service in Los Angeles is approximately $38 per month. Of the other major markets CNET has covered thus far, only Brooklyn rings in at a lower starting price ($36 a month).

Though Starry is only available within the city, it rings in with the lowest starting price at $15 a month for its Starry Connect plan. 

The prize of the highest starting price goes to AT&T and its Internet 5000 plan, unveiled in 2022, at $180 a month. We'll talk more about it in a few moments when we discuss the fastest plans available in Los Angeles. But it should be noted that despite the high monthly cost, it's actually a high-value plan: it has a very low cost of just under 4 cents per Mbps, which is quite good, but not the best we've seen for any plan we've covered thus far at CNET. That goes to Frontier's 5Gbps tier which, at $155 monthly, rates out to an excellent cost of 3 cents per Mbps.

Cheap internet options in Los Angeles

As for your low-cost internet options, Angelenos have several choices from internet providers in the area, nearly all of whom participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program from the Federal Communications Commission. It provides a $30 per month benefit to qualifying households to help them afford high-speed internet service. As you can see from the chart below, some providers' cheap internet plans -- like those from Cox, Race Communications and Starry -- will ultimately be free when combined with the ACP credit.

What's the cheapest internet in Los Angeles?

Provider Starting price Standard price Max download speed Monthly equipment fee Contract

Starry Connect $15 $15 30Mbps None None

Race Communications $25 $25 25Mbps $10 (skippable) None

Starry Basic $30 $30 50Mbps None None

Sonic Telecom $40 $40 25Mbps Varies None

Cox $50 $50 100Mbps $13 (skippable) 

Show more (5 items)

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Internet speeds in Los Angeles

Los Angeles isn't among the top 50 fastest cities in the US. A big reason is that 100% fiber connections are not yet as prevalent as cable and DSL connections in the city. But major efforts by AT&T (making its new Internet 2000 and Internet 5000 plans more widely available) and Frontier (whose 2-gigabit and 5-gigabit plans are now available for all locations serviceable for its Fiber offerings) should help boost those stats.

Download speeds

Los Angeles - 118 Mbps

CA - 150 Mbps

US - 133 Mbps

Upload speeds

Los Angeles - 36 Mbps

CA - 48 Mbps

US - 46 Mbps

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*Data sourced from M-LAB speed tests taken by real users in Los Angeles.

Fastest internet plans in Los Angeles

Provider Max download speed Max upload speed Starting price Data cap Contract

Frontier Fiber 5 Gig 5,000Mbps 5,000Mbps $155 None None

AT&T Fiber 5000 5,000Mbps 5,000Mbps $180 None None

AT&T Fiber 2000 2,000Mbps 2,000Mbps $110 None None

Frontier Fiber 2 Gig 2,000Mbps 2,000Mbps $100 None None

Race Internet Gigafy Me 1,000Mbps 1,000Mbps $60 None None

Show more (4 items)

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What's the bottom line on internet providers in Los Angeles?

Spectrum is tough to beat among Los Angeles internet providers if you're looking for consistent service and wide availability. Yet AT&T's fiber plans take the top prize for the fastest -- including symmetrical download and upload speeds -- plans to be found in LA. Overall, change is coming over the next few years in the City of Angels, as providers like AT&T and Frontier start to move away from their older DSL lines (which are still prominent in the area) toward their growing fiber networks. Cable internet still rules in LA, but fiber is the future. 

Internet providers in Los Angeles FAQs

How much does internet service cost in Los Angeles?

Most internet providers in Los Angeles offer at least three different tiers, ranging in price from a low of $15 per month to a high of $180 monthly. Overall, the average starting cost for a provider's cheapest plan is $38 per month. Keep in mind that some providers also charge an additional cost to rent their modem and router.

Which internet provider in Los Angeles is the cheapest?

Looking only at the starting price, the cheapest internet provider in Los Angeles would be Starry, with its Starry Connect plan for $15 monthly. However, that plan's not available to all Starry customers. Next in line for the cheapest internet provider in Los Angeles would be Race Communications and its Basic Broadband Plus plan, which is 25Mbps download and 25Mbps upload for $25 per month.

Can I get fiber internet in Los Angeles?

Yes. Although fiber internet connections are currently not as prevalent in Los Angeles as cable internet or DSL, you can find fiber internet throughout Los Angeles County. Top fiber internet providers in Los Angeles include AT&T, Frontier and Race Communications.