Author: Sue Marek

Sue Marek is Ookla’s editorial director and part of the company’s analyst team. She oversees the company’s thought leadership and editorial content. Sue is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering the telecom industry and her work has appeared in Fierce Network, Light Reading, and SDxCentral. She is a frequent speaker at industry events and has moderated panels at Mobile World Las Vegas, Connect(x), the Consumer Electronics Show, the Competitive Carriers’ Show and 5G North America. Sue has a B.S. in journalism from the University of Colorado.

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | May 5, 2026

Starlink Hits New Highs in the U.S.

Hughesnet and Viasat continue to lose ground to Starlink in network performance as its median download and upload speeds climb and its latency declines.

Key takeaways:

According to Ookla Speedtest® data from the second half of 2025, Speedtest users on Starlink in every state but Alaska were able to get median download speeds of 100 Mbps or higher, moving it from a last-ditch option to a viable competitor for broadband service in many areas. This is more than double the number of states in 2H 2024 when users in just 23 states were able to get median download speeds of 100 Mbps or higher.
Starlink users in 22 states were able to get median upload speeds of 20 Mbps or higher, an improvement over the 2H of 2024 when users in no states were able to get 20 Mbps in upload speeds. This is a significant milestone because the FCC designates 20 Mbps upload speeds as the minimum threshold for broadband connectivity.
44.7% of Speedtest users on Starlink in Q4 2025 were able to meet the FCC’s minimum standard of broadband speeds of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. This is an increase over the 17.4% of Starlink users who were able to get the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband in Q1 2025.
Starlink improved its median multi-server latency in all but three states —Hawaii, New Mexico and Oregon. In the 2H of 2025 10 states had a median multi-server latency of less than 40 milliseconds (ms). This is a shift from the 2H 2024 when just one state—New Jersey—had a median multi-server latency less than 40 ms.
GEO satellite providers Hughesnet and Viasat are increasingly losing ground to Starlink in speeds and latency. Starlink’s median download speeds are now more than 60% higher than Hughesnet’s and more than 65% higher than Viasat’s. Median upload speeds show an even greater disparity with Starlink’s upload speeds more than 80% higher than Hughesnet’s upload speeds and 95% higher than Viasat’s.

Starlink’s speeds are rising and latency is declining

No longer confined to rural America, SpaceX’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite provider Starlink is quickly emerging as a key player in the broader telecommunications landscape. This move is exemplified by T-Mobile’s recent partnership with Starlink and the creation of SuperBroadband, a new service that combines T-Mobile’s 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) network with Starlink Broadband satellite connectivity for businesses. This white-glove service from T-Mobile, while targeted at business customers, would not be possible if Starlink’s download and upload speeds weren’t on the upswing.

Indeed, Ookla Speedtest® data from the second half of 2025 indicates that Starlink dramatically improved its download speed performance across all 50 states compared to the second half of 2024. In fact, Speedtest users on Starlink are now able to get median download speeds exceeding 100 Mbps in every state but Alaska. This is more than double the 23 states that recorded median download speeds exceeding 100 Mbps in the second half of 2024.

In addition Starlink also improved its download performance in the 25th percentile, or the bottom quarter of Speedtest users on Starlink. All but two states —Connecticut and Hawaii—saw an increase in their 25th percentile speeds.

In the second half of 2024 eleven states—Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington— had 25th percentile speeds below 50 Mbps compared to the second half of 2025 when just two states—Alaska and Florida— had 25th percentile speeds below 50 Mbps.

Latency also improved year-over-year. Starlink has said that its goal is to deliver satellite service with just 20 milliseconds (ms) median latency and the company is making progress toward that goal. According to Speedtest data, the number of states where latency is under 40 ms increased from one (New Jersey) to 10 between 2H 2024 and 1H 2025.

The states with the lowest median multi-server latency in the second half of 2025 were New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona, and the District of Columbia, which all had median latencies of 37 ms.

Starlink Speedtest Performance In the 50 U.S. States
How each state performs in latency, median download, and 25th percentile download. Ookla Speedtest® | 2H 2024 – 2H 2025
Starlink's performance in latency, median download, and 25th percentile download in all 50 states in the U.S.

Starlink’s “secret sauce”

Much of the reason behind Starlink’s performance improvements is due to SpaceX’s acceleration of its satellite launches and its new Generation 3 (V3) satellites that are more powerful than earlier versions.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is able to add dozens of new satellites to the constellation. In February 2026, Starlink had more than 10,000 satellites in orbit. The more satellites a constellation has, the more capacity it has to handle subscribers and the faster speeds it can deliver to more places.

In addition, Starlink’s V3 satellites provide roughly 10 times the downlink capacity. The company also has improved its inter-satellite links that allow data to bypass ground stations for longer stretches, which reduces traffic bottlenecks and lowers the latency.

However, during this time of dramatic performance improvements, the company also has added a significant number of subscribers. At the end of 2024, Starlink had a reported 4.6 million subscribers globally. This more than doubled in 2025 and by early 2026 (February) Starlink said that it had more than 10 million active subscribers globally.

Midwest surge: Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah lead in speed

New Jersey, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming experienced the biggest year-over-year increase in download speeds of all the states and the District of Columbia. With the exception of New Jersey, these states are primarily in the Midwest and are characterized by having low population density. These states also benefit from having relatively flat terrain making it easier to maintain a constant, unobstructed line of sight with the satellites.

Nebraska clocks in with the highest overall median download speed of 200.80 Mbps in the second half of 2025, an increase from 129.40 Mbps in the second half of 2024.

10 States With the Largest Gains in Starlink Download Speed Gains
Ookla Speedtest® | 2H 2024 – 2H 2025

New Jersey’s performance leap

New Jersey also saw a big jump in its 25th percentile download speeds from 11.68 Mbps in the second half of 2024 to 77.64 Mbps in the second half of 2025. This increase suggests that Starlink’s rollout of its newer high capacity satellites was particularly advantageous to New Jersey customers. This is notable because New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the U.S. and historically Starlink has been thought to be primarily useful for those in rural areas without other broadband alternatives.

10 States Where Starlink Had the Smallest Amount of Download Speed Gains
Ookla Speedtest | 2H 2024 to 2H 2025

High-performing states see smaller gains

In contrast to the states like Nebraska and New Jersey that saw big increases in median download speeds, Hawaii, Connecticut and Rhode Island experienced the smallest amount of change year-over-year.

For example, both Connecticut and Rhode Island already had strong median download speeds in the second half of 2024. Connecticut’s median download speed was 135.48 Mbps and Rhode Island’s was 116.21 Mbps, both of which were above average compared to the rest of the states.

Hawaii also had a high median download speed of 120.46 Mbps in the second half of 2024. However, Hawaii is different from the other two states because its median multi-server latency remains high (109 ms in the second half of 2025 compared to 112 ms in the second half of 2025).

Hawaii’s high latency numbers are due to its geography. In the mainland U.S. most users live within a few hundred miles of both a ground station and a major data center (like those in Seattle, Dallas, or Virginia) so the trip that the data must make is relatively short. Because of Hawaii’s location, the data has a much longer route to a ground station and data center, making the latency higher.

10 States With the Largest Gains in Starlink Median Upload Speeds
Ookla Speedtest | 2H 2024 vs. 2H 2025

Upload speeds improve year-over-year

Upload speeds also saw a dramatic improvement year-over-year. In the second half of 2025, Starlink users in 22 states were able to get median upload speeds of 20 Mbps or higher, an improvement over the second half of 2024 when Speedtest users in no states were able to get 20 Mbps in upload speeds.

This is important because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designates 20 Mbps upload speeds as the minimum threshold for U.S. broadband connectivity.

New Jersey, Nebraska and Minnesota had the biggest gains in median upload speeds in the second half of 2025. New Jersey increased its upload speeds from 13.79 Mbps in the second half of 2024 to 23.35 Mbps in the second half of 2025, Nebraska’s median upload speeds rose from 18.35 Mbps in the second half of 2024 to 24.94 Mbps in the second half of 2025 (Nebraska ranks No. 1 in median upload speeds for all 50 states and the District of Columbia). And Minnesota increased its median upload speeds from 16.05 Mbps to 22.35 Mbps in the second half of 2025.

On the other end of the spectrum, Connecticut, Hawaii, and New Hampshire saw the smallest gains in median upload speeds year-over-year. Connecticut increased its median upload speeds from just 18.14 Mbps to 20.05 Mbps in the second half of 2025. Hawaii increased its median upload speeds from 14.45 Mbps in 2H 2024 to 16.70 Mbps in 2H 2025 and New Hampshire increased its median upload speeds from 17.24 Mbps to 19.81 Mbps year-over-year.

The growing gap between Starlink and the GEOs

When we compare the nationwide median download speeds, median upload speeds, and median multi-server latency for Starlink and the two primary geostationary providers in the U.S. —Viasat and Hughesnet, we can see the growing performance divide between Starlink and the GEO providers.

At a nationwide level, Viasat and Hughesnet Speedtest users experience median download speeds that are more than half of that of Starlink users. As of Q1 2026 Hughesnet users were experiencing median download speeds of 48.55 Mbps, Viasat users were getting median download speeds of just 41.05 Mbps compared to Starlink users that were experiencing median download speeds of 127.39 Mbps.

A similar gap exists in median upload speeds where in Q1 2026 Starlink users were experiencing median upload speeds of 21.46 Mbps compared to Hughesnet users with median upload speeds of 4.10 Mbps and Viasat at 0.95 Mbps.

Neither Hughesnet nor Viasat are remotely close to matching Starlink in median multi-server latency where Starlink has a latency of just 39 ms as of Q1 2026 compared to Hughesnet with a latency of 674 ms and Viasat with 750 ms.

A comparison of HughesNet, ViaSat and Starlink's Speeds and Latency
Ookla Speedtest® | 2H 2024 – 2H 2025
Starlink's low earth orbit download speeds compared with geostationary satellite systems HughesNet and ViaSat

GEOs try to stop their losses with lower prices

With Starlink better speeds and lower latency and its ability to attract more customers, Viasat and Hughesnet are going on the defensive to try to minimize their customer losses. Both companies are losing customers at a steady pace. Hughesnet’s global subscriber count declined from 1.22 million in 2022 to just 739,000 in Q4 2025. Likewise Viasat’s global subscriber count dropped from 590,000 in fiscal Q4 2021 to an estimated 159,000 in Q4 2025.

HughesNet and ViaSat Subscribers Over Time
Data from company reports and estimates 2022 through Q4 2025
A comparison of HughesNet and ViaSat's subscriber counts

According to Speedtest data, both Hughesnet and Viasat are attracting the majority of their customers in California and Texas. While these aren’t actual subscriber numbers, Speedtest sample percentages can serve as a proxy and provide some insight into where the majority of Viasat and Hughesnet’s customers are located:

The top 5 states with the highest percentage of samples for Viasat in Q3-Q4 2025 are:

California: 12%
Texas: 10%
Florida: 9%
Georgia: 9%
New York: 7%

The top 5 states with the highest percentage of samples for Hughesnet for the Q3-Q4 2025 period are:

Texas: 10%
California: 7%
Michigan: 5%
North Carolina: 4%
Missouri: 4%

To counteract Starlink’s impact Viasat introduced a budget-friendly plan that starts at $40 per month. According to Viasat’s web site the company has a promotional plan that costs $39.99 per month for three months, jumping to $69.99 per month thereafter. The plan, which requires a 24-month contract, claims typical download speeds will be 67 Mbps and upload speeds will be 4 Mbps. Viasat also warns users that while the plan is for unlimited data, the company may throttle speeds after 35 GB of data are used.

Viasat is also adding capacity and speed by upgrading its satellites. It launched Viasat-3 F1 in May 2023 to deliver more coverage to North America. That satellite has been operational since 2024. In addition, it launched Viasat-3 F2 in November 2025 and that satellite is currently in the testing phase and will enter commercial service over the Americas in May 2026. The final satellite, Viasat-3 F3 was just launched on April 29.

Similar to Viasat, Hughesnet also introduced a low-cost plan of $39.99 per month. The plan requires a 12-month contract and promises speeds of up to 25 Mbps. Hughesnet also says that the plans include 100 GB of priority data. However, when 100 GB of priority data is gone, Hughesnet may throttle speeds.

However, despite the low-cost plans, both Viasat and Hughesnet appear to be shifting their focus away from residential offerings toward more wholesale and enterprise customers. In fact,

PCMag recently reported that Hughesnet is preparing to refer its own satellite internet customers to Starlink after its parent company, EchoStar, agreed to sell spectrum to SpaceX.

Starlink’s growing dominance

In Q4, 44.7% of Speedtest Starlink users were able to receive the FCC’s minimum threshold for broadband of 100/20 Mbps, making the provider look a lot less like a niche connectivity provider for unserved areas and more like a legitimate broadband competitor.

By aggressively growing its LEO constellation to more than 10,000 satellites and deploying more powerful satellites, Starlink has managed to significantly increase its speeds and lower latency even as its global subscriber base grew to 10 million. While Starlink hasn’t revealed the exact number of subscribers in the U.S., we do know that the U.S. is Starlink’s largest market.

It will be interesting to see how Starlink reacts to potential competition from other LEO players such as Amazon LEO. Amazon is required by the FCC to have 1,618 satellites in orbit by July 30, 2026. As of early April the company had launched between 210 and 241 satellites. In addition, it has filed a request with the FCC for a two-year extension to launch the 1,618 satellites citing a shortage of available launch vehicles.

Starlink’s inroads puts GEO providers such as Hughesnet and Viasat at a critical crossroads. Despite efforts to retain customers through budget-friendly pricing and localized hardware upgrades, the performance gap—particularly in latency—remains a huge hurdle for the GEO architecture.

For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, subscribe to Ookla Research updates.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | April 20, 2026

Closing the Gap: Alaska’s Push for Statewide Connectivity

Despite challenging terrain and low population density, the 49th state is making big strides when it comes to bridging the digital divide.

With its enormous size, diverse terrain, and frozen ground, Alaska is a massive logistical nightmare when it comes to delivering broadband to its residents. Much of the state is covered by permafrost, making it nearly impossible to dig a trench for fiber-optic cables and many communities are on islands, such as the Aleutian Chain, or separated by river deltas. Connecting these communities requires miles of subsea fiber-optic cables, which are expensive to install and difficult to repair.

Slow but steady progress

Alaska ranks last in Ookla’s 2H 2025 50 U.S. States Broadband Speed Performance Report that classifies the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia by the percentage of Speedtest users that achieve the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) minimum broadband speeds of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds. In the second half of 2025 only 47.1% of Speedtest users in Alaska were able to get 100/20 Mbps speeds. However, the state has made a lot of progress. In the first half of 2024, just 35.4% of Speedtest users were able to get the FCC’s minimum speed threshold.

Alaska’s urban/rural divide has also changed over time. In the second half of 2024 the state delivered the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband to 38.7% of its urban population and to just 15.8% of its rural population. However, a year later it had increased that to 45.2% of its urban population and 24.9% of its rural population and effectively reduced its digital divide from 22.9 percentage points in the second half of 2024 to 20.4 percentage points in the second half of 2025.

$1.2B in BEAD funding

Alaska is set to receive approximately $1.2 billion in funding from the federal government’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. According to Alaska’s Broadband office, the state has awarded about $629 million for 29 broadband projects.

That initial award is intended to connect 44,734 underserved or unserved locations across Alaska. Because of the state’s unique geography, Alaska will use a mix of technologies to deliver broadband to those locations. Approximately 24,500 of the funded locations will receive high-speed fiber from 13 different providers including Matanuska Telecom Association, Alaska Communications and GCI Communication. In addition, 14,400 locations will be served with SpaceX’s Starlink low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service. The remaining 5,800 locations will be reached using fixed wireless and hybrid systems from Alaska Communications, SPITwSPOTs and Bristol Bay Telephone.

GCI’s commitment to bridging the digital divide

GCI has been provisionally awarded $120 million in funding from the BEAD program to expand high-speed service to 18 communities, including Anchorage, Eagle River, and several remote areas in Western Alaska. GCI has committed to delivering fiber to 3,200 locations in Alaska with its funding.

Part of GCI’s BEAD funding is going to Alaska Connect, a multi-billion dollar program with a goal to ensure every Alaskan has access to the FCC’s minimum broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps.

GCI plays a key role in Alaska Connect and recently revealed that it has completed Phase 1 of the AIRRAQ Network, a multi-million dollar fiber and microwave network that the company is building in conjunction with the Bethel Native Corporation. The goal is to bring 2.5 Gbps speeds to some of the most remote villages in Alaska. Phase 1 of the program delivers fiber to five communities: Bethel, Platinum, Eek, Napaskiak, and Oscarville.

To complete Phase 1, engineers had to deploy fiber on frozen tundra and use specialized vehicles to avoid damaging the delicate summer tundra. Engineers also had to deploy large portions of cable along the floor of the Kuskokwim River and the Bering Sea.

Aleutians Fiber project reaches final phase

Besides the BEAD-funded Alaska Connect project, GCI is in the final stretch of its Aleutians Fiber project — an 800-mile subsea fiber project that was started in 2021. Unlike the AIRRAQ Network, the Aleutian Fiber project is a public-private partnership that gets its funding from a combination of grants and private funding. The grants include a $25 million grant awarded in 2021 from the USDA’s ReConnect Program, more than $70 million in funding from the NTIA’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and $50 million from GCI.

Aside from fiber and microwave, GCI also is updating its HFC to DOCSIS 4.0 so it can deliver multi-gig speeds to urban centers such as Anchorage and Fairbanks.

GCI isn’t the only broadband provider in Alaska to use its BEAD funding to improve its speeds and footprint. Matanuska Telecom Association (MTA), a telecom cooperative in Alaska that serves over 33,000 members, received $108.6 million in BEAD funding to deliver fiber to 10,000 locations in Alaska.

In addition, Alaska Communications is committed to delivering fiber to 5,100 locations and fixed wireless access (FWA) to 4,000 sites with its $123.3 million in BEAD funding.

GCI currently towers over its competitors in both median upload and download speeds and consistently delivers speeds that far surpass the FCC’s minimum requirement for broadband of 100 Mbps download speeds and 20 Mbps upload speeds. According to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data, GCI’s median download speeds ranged from 378.55 Mbps in March 2025 to 431.98 Mbps in March 2026 and its median upload speeds ranged from 37.13 Mbps in March 2025 to 40.12 Mbps in March 2026.

Alaska Broadband Providers' Network Performance
Ookla Speedtest data |March 2025 – March 2026

Starlink fills the gap

Starlink is another broadband contender. According to ConnectedNation’s BEAD tracker, Starlink’s parent company SpaceX is slated to provide broadband service to 14,400 locations where regulators believe satellite will be more effective.

According to Speedtest data, Starlink increased the percentage of speedtest users in Alaska that are able to get the FCC’s minimum broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps from 4.35% in the first half of 2025 to 15.9% in the second half of 2025. This increase reflects Starlink’s expansion of its satellite constellation and its investment in its network.

More of Starlink’s rural users are able to get the FCC’s minimum broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps than its urban users. In the second half of 2025 16.8% of Starlink users in rural Alaska were able to get broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps compared to just 12.3% of urban users.

According to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data, Starlink’s median download speeds rose from 73.5 Mbps in March 2025 to 108.5 Mbps in March 2026, and its median upload speeds ranged from 10.7 Mbps in March 2025 to 17.1 Mbps in March 2026.

No longer out of reach

Although Alaska still faces the most challenging terrain in the country for delivering broadband connectivity to its residents, the needle is moving. A combination of BEAD funding, state initiatives, and private investment is beginning to improve the chances for thousands of Alaskans to get broadband connectivity.

While Alaska remains at the bottom of Ookla’s U.S. state broadband speed rankings as of the 2H of 2025, its numbers are on the rise, proving that remote life doesn’t necessarily mean digital isolation.

For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, subscribe to Ookla Research updates.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | April 8, 2026

Aggressive U.S. Broadband Expansion in 2H 2025 Narrows Digital Divide

The gap between urban and rural users decreased in 43 states during the second half of 2025, according to a new Ookla report.

The U.S. broadband landscape underwent a big shift in the latter half of 2025. Thanks to record-breaking new fiber builds, the aggressive expansion of SpaceX’s Starlink, and the growth in fixed wireless access (FWA), broadband availability achieved some new milestones.

The latest Ookla U.S. State Broadband Report using Speedtest Intelligence® data found that in 43 states, the gap between urban and rural users meeting the FCC’s minimum broadband speed standards of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload decreased compared to the first half of the year. These findings are based on Ookla’s analysis, which uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s urban-rural classifications to categorize user data. To see how your state compares across key broadband metrics, download the full report.

In addition, the number of states that are able to deliver fixed broadband services (fiber, cable and DSL) to the FCC’s minimum standard of broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps increased in the second half of 2025 to 45 states and the District of Columbia, which is up from 38 states and the District of Columbia in the first half of 2025. Plus, 13 states are now delivering the minimum of 100/20 Mbps fixed broadband speeds to 70% or more of Speedtest users.

Key Takeaways

Montana saw the biggest annual improvement in fixed broadband in 2H 2025 jumping from 41.09% of its users experiencing the minimum standard of fixed broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps in 1H 2025 to 54.58% in 2H 2025.
In Nebraska, 58.31% of Starlink LEO satellite users receive minimum broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps, which is the highest percentage of any of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for Starlink service.
Starlink turns the tables on the digital divide. In 29 of the 50 states, rural Starlink users get better broadband speeds than urban users. In addition, based upon the number of Speedtest samples collected across the U.S., five states—Florida, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey and Connecticut—have more Starlink users in urban areas than rural areas.

Connecticut, New Jersey lead state rankings

Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and 10 other states are the top-ranking U.S. states in the second half of 2025 with at least 70% of Speedtest users experiencing 100/20 Mbps broadband speeds. This is more than double the number of states (five) that had 70% or more of Speedtest users experiencing 100/20 Mbps broadband speeds in the first half of 2025.

Those three states have consistently been at the top of the state rankings. They benefit from having a smaller land mass with high population densities, making it more efficient and less costly for broadband providers to provide high-speed connectivity to customers in these states.

In addition, 45 states and the District of Columbia are now delivering the minimum broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps to 60% or more of their users. This is an increase from 38 states and the District of Columbia that met this criteria in the 1H of 2025.

Starlink’s surprising city appeal

Starlink’s appeal as a broadband provider goes beyond just rural areas where fixed broadband options are non-existent. Instead, Starlink appears to be carving out a niche market for urban dwellers too. While Starlink’s service isn’t a substitute for the speed and price of a fiber-optic connection it does appeal to a certain segment or urban residents because it allows them to escape having to purchase from a fixed provider that provides poor service or or doesn’t offer compelling price plans. It also serves as a reliable backup for those who require 24/7 connection and for digital nomads with a roaming plan, Starlink can be used to deliver broadband on the go.

Speedtest samples collected across the U.S. indicate that five states—Florida, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey and Connecticut —have more Starlink users in urban areas than rural areas.

State	No. of Starlink Test Samples from Rural Areas of the State	No. of Starlink Test Samples from Urban Areas of the State
New Jersey	649	1731
Hawaii	851	1494
Florida	11451	11717
Massachusetts	786	1041
Connecticut	382	543

Note: These findings are based on Ookla’s analysis, which uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s urban-rural classifications to categorize user data.

Download the full report

To find your state’s standing and how it compares to the rest of the country in broadband connectivity, download our free report.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | March 16, 2026

Business Case for In-building Wireless Still Evolving, Panelists Say

Experts agree that dedicated indoor cellular infrastructure is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

Providing seamless connectivity in large venues such as transportation hubs, shopping centers and stadiums is becoming much more attainable as mobile network operators see a viable business case for providing this service to the thousands of users that pass through these venues every day.

But for smaller venues—retail outlets, hotel lobbies or sidewalk cafes—the return on the investment for the operator is not as clear. Nevertheless, wireless users expect their connectivity to be the same regardless of whether they are in a large stadium or walking the aisles of the local grocery store.

There is no one solution to solving the in-building coverage problem. However, the neutral host model is gaining traction because it offers a single shared and managed cellular infrastructure (either DAS or small cells or both) that support multiple mobile network operators simultaneously, replacing the need for separate infrastructure from each operator.

These issues and more were debated during the panel hosted by Ookla at the recent Mobile World Congress 2026 conference in Barcelona. Moderated by Karim Yaici, industry analyst at Ookla, the session featured Alberto Hernando, global head of densification at Cellnex; Mikael Lundman, CEO at Proptivity, and Mike Saperstein, senior vice president, government affairs and chief strategy officer at the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA).

Saperstein noted that the traditional in-building model where mobile operators have “footed the bill” is not viable with smaller buildings. But it’s also unclear if building owners are ready to make that investment.

“If I’m a building owner, does it make sense for me to invest in everything up-front?” Saperstein asked, noting that building owners are going to want to have some guarantee that what they purchase will not become outdated if the technology shifts.

However, Lundman noted that Proptivity, which is a neutral host provider that sells its solutions to building owners, thinks the business case for outfitting buildings with neutral host solutions is very strong, because building owners don’t want to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to build an office building only to find out their tenants can’t make phone calls in the building. “For building owners, it is very much up to you to make sure your customers in the building are happy,” he added.

Cellnex’s Hernando agreed, noting that tenants will lose productivity and retailers will lose sales without proper indoor coverage. However, he added that the right funding model depends on the vertical and the venue. Cellnex operates as an independent neutral host provider, acting as the “glue” between landlords and mobile network operators on a single shared infrastructure. It has deployed more than 1,000 in-building systems across Europe and works with all the major MNOs on-boarded.

From DAS to Small Cells

Not only is the business model for inbuilding still evolving, so is the technology. In-building solutions have migrated from repeaters to passive distributed antenna systems (DAS) and active DAS and now even includes small cells.

Hernando noted that the traditional DAS model does not translate easily to mid-size venues, where the cost remains a significant barrier.

But it is important to deploy in-building systems that will evolve as mobile traffic grows and use cases evolve. “This is not just about investing and providing a solution for 2026,” Hernando said. “We need to evolve the systems and provide good connectivity, not only for today but for the coming years.”

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | March 16, 2026

Small Towns, Big Speeds: How Some Municipal Broadband Providers Outperform Their ISP Peers

We studied the performance of 14 of the largest municipal networks from December 2024 through December 2025, and compared their performance to each other and to their ISP competitors.

Key Takeaways:

When compared to their broadband competitors, eight municipal providers in the U.S. that we monitored using Ookla Speedtest data beat their broadband competitors in median upload speeds and one municipal provider, Sherwood Broadband, outpaced the competition in median download speeds. We monitored a total of 14 municipal providers, however, one provider —EBP— did not have any competitors with enough test samples to compare its performance against.

Fort Collins, Colorado’s Connexion was the leader in median upload speed, delivering an average median upload speed of more than 300 Mbps for the entire 13-month period from December 2024 to December 2025.

Sherwood Broadband in Sherwood, Oregon, was the top provider in median download speeds, delivering an average median download speed that surpassed 400 Mbps eight months out of a 13-month period from December 2024 to December 2025.

UTOPIA Fiber in Utah is a standout in latency, delivering the lowest latency of all 14 municipal broadband providers with a multi-server latency consistently in the low 6 milliseconds (ms) to 8 ms range.

More than 700 communities across the U.S. are served by some type of municipal broadband network that provides its residents with internet services. In simple terms, a municipal broadband network is an internet service provider (ISP) that is owned and operated by the local city or county government or a municipal utility rather than a private company like Comcast or AT&T.

Using Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence® data, we studied the performance of 14 of the largest municipal networks from December 2024 through December 2025, and compared their performance against each other and to their ISP competitors in their market. It’s important to note that some Speedtest data may reflect the speeds of the users’ broadband price plans vs. the possible speeds that the provider can deliver.

We selected these 14 municipal providers because they are some of the largest in the U.S. based upon reported subscriber numbers and because we had the most test samples from these providers. Notably, EPB in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is the largest municipal broadband provider in the U.S., did not have any competitors with enough test samples to compare its performance too.

However, these municipal networks are not evenly distributed around the country due to the disparities in state and local laws. For example, in Texas, Nebraska, and Missouri, municipalities are prohibited from selling telecom services directly to the public. And in Virginia and Louisiana a local referendum must be passed before a municipal network can be launched. These types of initiatives are often met with criticism from large ISPs that argue that municipal networks create “unfair competition” because cities don’t have to pay the same taxes or can subsidize losses with taxpayer money. In states where these arguments win over the legislature, community broadband initiatives are suppressed. However, some states, such as Colorado and Washington, have recently repealed state restrictions opening the door to more municipal broadband networks.

Connecting Cities: Four Models of Municipal Networks

For this report, we’ve categorized the municipal networks we studied into four groups:

Local Referendum: These are municipal networks that held local referendums to opt-out of restrictive state laws that initially prevented them from offering broadband or hold a vote as part of a requirement under state law. These include Connexion, NextLight and Pulse Fiber in Colorado; LFT Fiber in Lafayette, Louisiana; and Cedar Falls Utilities in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (LFT Fiber and Cedar Falls Utilities, while started by local referendums, are also ownednd operated by electric utilities so they fit into more than one category).
Owned and Operated by Electric Utilities: About half of the municipal networks in the U.S. are run by electric companies. These are municipal networks that were built and are operated as divisions of the existing municipal electric companies. BrightRidge in Johnson City, Tennessee; CDE Lightband in Clarksville, Tennessee; EPB Fiber in Chattanooga, Tennessee; NorthCentral Connect in Olive Branch, Mississippi; and OptiLink in Dalton, Georgia are examples of municipal networks operated by electric utilities.
Open Access Networks: These networks are built and maintained by the municipality but operate as wholesalers or shared resources. UTOPIA Fiber in Utah; and Sherwood Broadband in Sherwood, Oregon both act as shared resources with other ISPs or were built with the intention of being a shared resource.
Community-led: This category is for municipal networks that are operated as a department within the city. FairLawnGig in Fairlawn, Ohio and GreenLight Community Broadband both operate this way.

Muni-providers smash FCC’s minimum broadband standard

During the 13-month time frame from December 2024 to December 2025, four providers— Pulse Fiber, Connexion, BrightRidge, and Sherwood Broadband—consistently delivered the highest median download speeds. Sherwood Broadband registered median download speeds that surpassed 400 Mbps eight months out of the 13-month period while Pulse and Connexion logged speeds over 400 Mbps for two of the 13 months we analyzed.

LFT Fiber and Greenlight Community Broadband trailed the 14-provider field with median download speeds under 200 Mbps during eight of the 13 months we analyzed. However, those download speeds are still well above the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) minimum standard for broadband of 100 Mbps download speeds and 20 Mbps upload speeds.

Connexion was the top provider in median upload speed, delivering an average median upload speed of more than 300 Mbps for the entire time period. Pulse Fiber delivered median upload speeds of more than 300 Mbps for 10 of the 13 months and Sherwood delivered 300 Mbps or more median upload speeds for eight of the 13 months.

Upload speeds were an area where many municipal networks outshined their competitors. Eight municipal networks — Pulse Fiber, FairlawnGig, Connexion, Greenlight Community Broadband, Sherwood Broadband, OptiLink, Cedar Falls Utilities, and NextLight — all surpassed their broadband competitors in median upload speeds.

Network Performance of Municipal Broadband Providers

Municipal networks bypass legacy bottlenecks

Unlike their ISP competitors, municipal broadband networks typically are built using fiber optic technology and aren’t reliant on any legacy infrastructure such as copper phone lines or coaxial cable.

Onf the big benefits of having a fiber network is that they can deliver symmetrical upload and download speeds and avoid “bufferbloat” —a phenomenon that occurs when there’s a large amount of traffic that congests the connection. Cable networks often suffer from bufferbloat because they have asymmetrical speeds and slower upload speeds, often leading to higher latency during times of congestion. Because municipal networks use fiber networks with symmetrical speeds, they can avoid the bufferbloat problem.

Plus, municipal broadband networks are designed to provide broadband only to a specific community which means that the network’s central office or the heart of the network where all switching and routing occurs, is located in close proximity. This is different from a large regional or national network where traffic may need to be routed to distant regional hubs.

Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) Fiber is a standout in latency because it consistently delivered a multi-server latency in the low 6 milliseconds (ms) to 8 ms range. This was the lowest latency of all 14 municipal broadband providers in nine of the 13 months we analyzed.

UTOPIA Fiber is different from some municipal providers because it’s an open access network that is funded by the Utah Infrastructure Agency. UTOPIA builds and maintains the network and hosts more than 15 competing ISPs that sell the service to the consumer.

Community networks started by local referendum

Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU)

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Background: In 1994 over 70% of Cedar Falls, Iowa, residents voted in favor of creating a municipal communications utility. This vote was a legal requirement under Iowa law for any city that wanted to establish or expand a municipal utility into the “communications” sector. Initially CFU deployed HFC for cable TV and later expanded into internet and phone service. In 2013 CFU completed a fiber project and deployed fiber to every single home and business in the city earning it the title of Iowa’s first “Gigabit City.” In 2020 CFU upgraded much of its equipment so it could offer 10-Gbps service and also used a $2.3 million state grant to expand its fiber network into rural areas outside the city limits.
Customers: 16,970 customers as of July 21, 2025. (2026 budget book)
Competitors: Mediacom is CFU’s main competitor. Mediacom, which uses the brand name Xtream, operates an HFC network that covers nearly 99% of the city. The company has been expanding its 2-Gbps service into more areas.

How CFU Performs in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Cableco Mediacom’s median download speeds are higher than municipal provider CFU. For example, in December 2024 Mediacom recorded a median download speed of 407.38 Mbps compared to CFU, which had a median download speed of 281.56 Mbps. In December 2025 the gap had narrowed slightly with Mediacom recording a median download speed of 361.4 Mbps compared to CFU with a download speed of 311.64 Mbps.

However, because CFU is able to deliver more symmetrical speeds its median upload speeds are nearly 5x higher than Mediacom. CFU’s median upload speed in December 2025 was 247.55 Mbps compared to Mediacom which had a median upload speed of 49.99 Mbps.

CFU outshines Mediacom in median multi-server latency where it consistently delivers low latency between 14 ms to 15 ms, which is nearly one-third that of Mediacom which has a multi-server latency that is typically in the range of 40 ms to 43 ms.

Connexion

Fort Collins, CO

Background: Fort Collins initially applied for the Google Fiber challenge — a competition in which Google asked communities across the U.S. to apply to be the first location for its fiber service. More than 1,000 communities competed and Kansas City won the challenge. However, this sparked local interest for a city-owned alternative to the broadband services provided by national ISPs. To move forward Fort Collins residents had to approve a ballot measure allowing them to opt-out of a state law that restricted cities from offering internet services. A 2015 ballot measure was approved by voters followed by a $150 million bond measure to fund the building of the network. Construction of Connexion’s fiber network started in 2018 and the first customers were signed up in 2019. By the end of 2022 most of the network was complete.
Customers: 25,508 as of year-end 2025 (per annual report)
Competitors: Comcast’s Xfinity service is the primary competitor to Connexion and the cable company has been working to improve its upload speeds by performing mid-split upgrades to its nodes.

How Connexion Performs in Fort Collins, CO
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Xfinity’s median download speeds improved during the 13-month period from 257.29 Mbps in December 2024 to 341.4 Mbps in December 2025. Connexion’s median download speeds dropped slightly during that time period from 364.01 Mbps in December 2024 to 317.04 Mbps in December 2025.

Connexion, which is a fiber provider, outpaces Xfinity in median upload speeds (as noted above Connexion was the top municipal broadband provider in median upload speeds of the 14 providers we reviewed).

Cable providers have historically had low upload speeds compared to their fiber competitors because cable networks were originally designed to deliver one-way video traffic and not engineered for upload traffic. However, Xfinity has been upgrading its network with mid-split technology. While mid-split doesn’t allow Xfinity to deliver symmetrical speeds, it does allow customers to get higher upload speeds if they have the right modem.

During the 13-month period we see Xfinity’s median upload speeds increase more than 3x from 28.16 Mbps in December 2024 to 98.85 Mbps in December 2025. During the same time period, Connexion’s median upload speeds decreased from 325.6 Mbps in December 2024 to 246.96 Mbps in December 2025 but it is still able to outpace Xfinity in median upload speeds by a significant margin.

Multi-server latency is another area where you can see the gap between fiber and cable. Connexion’s multiserver latency is consistently in the single-digit range of 8 ms to 9 ms during the 13-month period while Xfinity’s multi-server latency is more than double that in the range of 22 ms to 24 ms.

LFT Fiber (formerly LUS Fiber)

Lafayette, LA

Background: Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) has provided electricity and water to the city of Lafayette, Louisiana for more than 125 years. In the late 1990s LUS built a fiber-optic ring to manage its electrical substations and in 2002 it started leasing surplus capacity to local schools and hospitals. The city soon realized that it could build its own fiber network for its citizens and in 2005 the city voted in favor of a $125 million bond initiative to fund a municipal fiber network. This move prompted some lawsuits from incumbent provider Cox Communications who argued that the city was using unfair financing. Nevertheless LUS Fiber’s network launched in 2009. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic LUS Fiber partnered with the local school district and provided high-speed broadband to more than 10,000 students. LUS Fiber was recently rebranded to LFT Fiber to better reflect its expansion beyond Lafayette.

Customers: 25,000 (grant application)

Competition: AT&T Fiber is currently LFT Fiber’s biggest rival. The company started rapidly expanding its fiber footprint in Lafayette in 2017 and launched gigabit speeds to residents. In 2022 AT&T upgraded its network and started offering multi-gigabit speeds such as 2 Gbps and 5 Gbps, Most recently the company expanded its fiber footprint around Lafayette to surrounding areas where LFT Fiber is also growing its footprint.

How LFT Fiber Performs in Lafayette, LA
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

According to Ookla Speedtest data AT&T outperforms LFT Fiber by a large margin in both median download and upload speeds. The speed gap between the two appears to be growing. In December 2024 AT&T had a median download speed of 350.59 Mbps, which is a little more than 2x that of LUS Fiber at 170.51 Mbps. But by December 2025 that gap had grown to more than 4x with AT&T logging a median download speed of 473.80 Mbps compared to LFT Fiber at 112.90 Mbps.

The gap in median upload speeds also increased from December 2024 when AT&T had a median download speed of 327.54 Mbps compared to LFT Fiber at 94.25 Mbps and December 2025 when AT&T had a median download speed of 424.17 Mbps compared to LUS Fiber at 107.70 Mbps.

Median multi-server latency is one area where LFT Fiber had been outpacing AT&T at least until December 2025 when things appear to shift. LFT Fiber had a median multi-server latency of just 24 ms in December 2024 but it suddenly increased to 42 ms in December 2025, shooting higher than AT&T Fiber which has consistently had a latency in the range of 36 ms to 39 ms during the entire 13 months.

LUS Fiber’s increase in latency may be due to the number of users that are on older Wi-Fi routers. Although the company has started rolling out newer Wi-Fi 7 gateways, many of its existing customers are reliant upon older generations of access points.

NextLight

Longmont, CO

Background: NextLight is a city-owned fiber network that got its start in the late 1990s when Longmont constructed a 17-mile fiber-optic loop to connect city buildings. Today the network covers about more than 90% of the city. However, Longmont faced a major hurdle with its fiber network in 2005 when the Colorado Legislature passed Senate Bill 152 which prohibited local governments from providing telecom services unless the voters voted to opt out. In 2009 Longmont held a referendum asking voters to allow the city to bypass SB 152 but lost. The town tried again two years later and it passed with 60% voter approval. In 2013 Longmont voters approved a $45.3 million bond to fund the expansion of the fiber network throughout the city.

Customers: 29,000 residential and business customers (2026 budget)

Competition: NextLight’s largest competitor is Xfinity, which is operated by Comcast. The cable provider covers about 97% of the city and aggressively offers bundled plans with mobile service and TV.

How NextLight Performs in Longmont, CO
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Both Xfinity and NextLight consistently delivered median download speeds in the 300 Mbps+ range during the 13-month period with Xfinity logging a median download speed of 361.03 Mbps in December 2024 compared to NextLight with a download speed of 308.02 Mbps. In December 2025 the two broadband providers’ speeds were nearly on par with Xfinity delivering median download speeds of 341.93 Mbps compared to NextLight with 331.01 Mbps.

However, when it comes to upload speeds NextLight benefits from fiber’s symmetric speeds and outperforms Xfinity by a large margin. During the 13-month period NextLight’s median upload speeds range from 279.23 Mbps in December 2024, peaking at 306.83 Mbps in March 2025 and ending at 297.86 Mbps in December 2025.

Xfinity, meanwhile, hindered by coaxial cable’s technology roots as a one-way video distribution system, increased its upload speeds more than 69% during the 13-month time period. However, it still failed to match NextLight’s upload speeds. Xfinity delivered median upload speeds ranging from 23.64 Mbps in December 2024 to 40.17 Mbps in December 2025.

Among the other municipal broadband providers, NextLight is a standout in latency, consistently delivering single-digit multi-server latency of either 7 ms or 8 ms. That means NextLight customers will experience nearly instantaneous network responsiveness.

Xfinity users also experience very consistent and fairly low latency in the 19 ms to 22 ms range but it’s more than double that of NextLight.

Pulse Fiber

Loveland, CO

Background: Similar to Fort Collins and Longmont, Colorado, the City of Loveland first had to hold a referendum in 2015 to opt-out of Senate Bill 152 so it could offer telecom services to its residents. That measure passed with the approval of 82% of voters and Pulse was created in 2018 as a division of the city’s water and power department. Construction started in November 2019 and was funded through a $95 million utility bond. The network was completed in November 2023 and is now expanding to neighboring areas, including the town of Timnath.

Customers: 15,000-20,000 (estimated based upon 32% take rate)

Competition: Pulse’s main competitor is Comcast’s Xfinity service which is still primarily a hybrid-fiber coax network. However, Xfinity has been rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 in Loveland, which will allow them to offer higher upload speeds.

How Pulse Fiber Performs in Loveland, CO
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Pulse and Xfinity are fairly neck-and-neck with both delivering median download speeds in the range of 300-400 Mbps. Xfinity had a median download speed of 301.46 Mbps in December 2024 increasing to 404.27 Mbps in December 2025. Pulse logged a median download speed slightly higher than Xfinity of 328.65 Mbps in December 2024 which increased to 389.42 Mbps in December 2025.

Once again fiber shines in upload speeds with Pulse Fiber clocking a median upload speed of 271.09 Mbps in December 2025 and climbing to 314.46 Mbps in December 2025.

Although Xfinity did increase its median upload speeds 77.5% during the 13-month period from 44.98 Mbps in December 2024 to 79.83 Mbps in December 2025, it’s still far below its fiber competitor.

Pulse also shines compared to Xfinity in median multi-server latency. The muni-fiber provider has a low single digit latency of just 8 ms to 9 ms, which means its users will experience superior response times. This is compared to Xfinity with a median multi-server latency ranging from 22 ms to 24 ms over the 13-months time frame.

Municipal networks owned and operated by electric utilities

BrightRidge

Johnson City, TN

Background: BrightRidge Broadband evolved out of Johnson City Power Board, the local legacy utility company. In 2017 Johnson City Power Board transitioned into an independent energy authority and rebranded as BrightRidge. BrightRidge started a broadband division in late 2018 and launched a $64 million, eight-year initiative to combat the region’s digital divide by deploying a fiber and fixed wireless network.
Customers: The company now has more than 53,500 fiber locations. It served 20,972 customers as of fiscal year 2025. (annual report)
Competitors: BrightRidge’s primary broadband competitor in the Johnson City market is Brightspeed Fiber and Spectrum. Brightspeed was formed in 2021 by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. Brightspeed purchased the DSL assets of Lumen Technologies and has been upgrading many of those DSL assets to fiber. In Johnson City, Brightspeed has deployed fiber to approximately 26,500 locations, representing about 64% of their local footprint. The company offers symmetrical speed plans ranging from 200 Mbps to 2 Gbps. Spectrum, which is owned by Charter Communications, offers broadband services in Johnson City using hybrid fiber coax. The company has a $5.5 billion network evolution project that it is rolling out nationwide to improve its upload speeds and network latency through the use of high splits and DOCSIS 4.0.

How BrightRidge Broadband Performs in Johnson City, TN
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

According to Speedtest data, BrightRidge’s median download speeds increased from 229.88 Mbps in December 2024 to 397.02 Mbps in December 2025 and its median upload speeds increased from 252.86 Mbps to 288.75 Mbps during that same 13-month period. However, Brightspeed topped BrightRidge with a median download speed of 459.55 Mbps in January 2025 increasing to 504.77 Mbps in December 2025. Spectrum’s median download speeds were 313.12 Mbps in December 2024 increasing to 410.44 Mbps in December 2025.

BrightRidge also trails Brightspeed in median upload speeds, with BrightRidge having a median upload speed of 288.75 Mbps in December 2025 compared to Brightspeed’s median download speed of 371.67 Mbps. However, both fiber providers are significantly higher than cable provider Spectrum, which has a median upload speed of just 22.72 Mbps in December 2025.

BrightRidge and Brightspeed have fairly similar multi-server latency profiles, which is the measurement of the network’s responsiveness with a lower number equating to less delay. Both companies had a latency ranging from 28 ms to 30 ms. However, Spectrum’s latency is a bit higher in the range of 34 ms to 50 ms.

CDE Lightband

Clarksville, TN

Background: CDE Lightband was formed by the municipal power provider, Clarksville Department of Electricity (CDE), when the city’s electrical grid needed an upgrade. In 2007 the city passed a referendum to allow CDE to expand its services and build a fiber network so it could better monitor its grid. In 2008 the CDE launched its broadband unit to sell high-speed internet services.
Customers: 30,482 broadband subscribers as of fiscal year 2024-2025 (annual report)
Competitors: AT&T Fiber is CDE’s primary competitor in Clarksville. The company has aggressively expanded its fiber footprint in the area and offers speed tiers ranging from 300 Mbps up to 5 Gbps.

How CDE Lightband Performs in Clarksville, TN
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

According to Speedtest data, AT&T Fiber’s median download speeds are nearly double that of CDE Lightband. In December 2025 AT&T’s Fiber’s median download speed was 423.36 Mbps compared to CDE at 205.88 Mbps. There’s also a big gap in median upload speeds with AT&T having a median upload speed of 315.4 Mbps in December 2025 compared to CDE with a median upload speed of 205.45 Mbps.

In median multi-server latency CDE initially was lower than AT&T with multi-server latency of just 11 ms in December 2024 however that latency increased over the year to 23 ms in December 2025. AT&T Fiber, meanwhile, recorded a fairly consistent multi-server latency ranging from 21 ms to 23 ms during the 13-month time period.

Electric Power Board (EPB) Fiber

Chattanooga, TN

Background: Electric Power Board of Chattanooga (EPB) is a municipally-owned utility. In the late 2000s EPB decided to modernize its aging electric infrastructure to reduce power outages and built a fiber optic backbone to reroute power and prevent outages. A secondary benefit to this fiber network was that EBP could deliver high speed internet to homes and businesses. EPB launched its first fiber-to-the-home services in 2009 and became the first operator to offer 1 Gbps services to the entire community. In 2015 EPB launched a 10-Gbps service and in 2022 it launched a 25 Gbps service.

Customers: 124,000 as of year-end 2025 (per the annual report)

Competition: EPB is the dominant player in the market. While AT&T Fiber is expanding in Chattanooga, Speedtest Intelligence doesn’t have enough samples of AT&T’s network to compare its performance to EPB. Xfinity also offers cable service to a portion of the city but not enough samples were available to provide an accurate comparison.

How EPB Fiber Performs in Chattanooga, TN
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

EPB’s median download speeds fluctuated over the 13-month period from 193.35 Mbps in December 2024 to 176.45 Mbps in December 2025 but its median upload speeds have improved during that time period. In December 2024 EPB recorded a median upload speed of 102.77 Mbps which climbed to 158.79 Mbps in December 2025. The muni-broadband provider had fairly steady multi-server latency of between 8 ms to 12 ms.

Northcentral Connect

Olive Branch, Mississippi

Background: Northcentral Connect is the fiber subsidiary of Northcentral Electric Cooperative (NEC), a member-owned utility company. For decades Mississippi law restricted electric cooperatives from providing telecom services but that changed in 2019 with the passage of the Mississippi Broadband Enabling Act. Northcentral Electric created Northcentral Connect in February 2020 because of demand from members who wanted reliable internet but were having difficulty finding good options. Northcentral Electric was already installing fiber between their substations to modernize their electric grid so the utility created Northcentral Connect and expanded that fiber to DeSoto and Marshall counties and it is still expanding today.

Customers: Northcentral Connect hasn’t reported subscriber numbers but says it has passed more than 18,000 homes with fiber. (annual report)

Competition: Northcentral Connect competes with Mississippi-based regional provider C Spire Fiber. C Spire is aggressively expanding fiber in DeSoto County and other areas where Northcentral also provides services.

How Northcentral Connect Performs in Olive Branch, MS
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Northcentral falls below Cspire in median download speed. The muni-broadband provider logged median download speeds of 306.02 Mbps in December 2024 and 320.30 Mbps in December 2025. Cspire, however, eclipsed Northcentral with download speeds starting at 386.26 Mbps in January 2024 and rising to 442.42 Mbps in December 2025.

A similar pattern occurs in upload speeds with Cspire at the top with median upload speeds in the high 200s and low 300s. In December 2025 its users experienced median upload speeds of 312.16 Mbps. Northcentral is below Cspire with median upload speeds of 282.23 Mbps in December 2025.

Latency is one metric where Northcentral shines. Northcentral’s median multi-server latency starts as 31 ms in December 2024 and stays primarily in the 28 ms to 32 ms range except for two instances in February 2025 and December 2025 when its latency moves up to 37 ms. CSpire’s median multi-server latency trends slightly higher than Northcentral with a multi-server latency of 42 ms in December 2024 and finishing at 33 ms in December 2025.

OptiLink

Dalton, Georgia

Background: OptiLink is the telecom branch of Dalton Utilities in Dalton, Georgia, which is home to several massive carpet mills. In the late 1990s Dalton Utilities started building a fiber backbone to manage its electric and water systems. The city’s carpet mills needed high-speed broadband to stay competitive so Dalton Utilities launched OptiLink to provide fiber to homes and businesses in the city. In 2019 OptiLink became the first municipal network in Georgia to offer 1 Gbps speeds to residents. Later that year OptiLink launched a 10-Gbps residential service.

Customers: Optilink doesn’t report subscribers but says it has a 50% take rate in a community of around 35,000.

Competition: OptiLink’s rivals in Dalton, Georgia are Spectrum, owned by Charter Communications, and Kinetic by Uniti. Spectrum covers more than 88% of Dalton and offers bundles that include wireless and television services. Kinetic is a regional provider that offers a mix of DSL and fiber.

How OptiLink Performs in Dalton, GA
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Spectrum outperforms OptiLink and Kinetic in median download speeds. Spectrum clocked a median download speed of 345.95 Mbps in December 2024 and speeds ebbed and flowed over the 13 months rising to 368.80 Mbps in December 2025. OptiLink’s median download speeds were lower than Spectrum starting at 272.64 Mbps in December 2024 and rising to 298.71 Mbps in December 2025.

Because Kinetic by Uniti operates a hybrid of DSL and fiber in its neighborhoods, its median download speeds fall far below the other two providers for most of the 13-month time frame but speeds start to dramatically climb in October 2025 with the company having a median download speed of 269.46 Mbps in December 2025. This was likely the result of Kinetic’s rollout of XGS-PON technology across more of its footprint as well as its partnership with Amazon’s eero, which included certifying every home with Wi-Fi 7 coverage. This was a direct attempt by Uniti to combat its reputation for delivering painfully slow internet service.

Not surprisingly, the competitive tables turn when measuring median upload speeds. Municipal fiber provider OptiLink delivers much higher median upload speeds than its competitors with speeds of 231.07 Mbps in December 2024 and ending with speeds of 252.09 Mbps in December 2025.

Spectrum, meanwhile, impeded by coaxial cable’s poor uplink capacity, stays in third place with median upload speeds in the low-to-mid 20 Mbps range.

Once again, we see the results of Kinetic by Uniti’s expansion of XGS-PON technology and its partnership with Amazon’s eero and the conversion to Wi-Fi 7. Kinetic by Uniti’s median upload speeds grew dramatically from 25.22 Mbps in December 2024 to 269.46 Mbps in December 2025.

Kinetic by Uniti also scores in median multi-server latency with a consistently low latency ranging from 11 ms to 14 ms. OptiLink’s median multi-server latency improves over the 13-month time frame, starting at 23 ms and dropping to 14 ms in December 2025. Spectrum has the highest multi-server latency of the three, ranging from 31 ms in December 2024 to 33 ms in December 2025.

Open access networks

Sherwood Broadband

Sherwood, Oregon

Background: Sherwood Broadband is a municipal fiber utility operated by the City of Sherwood. It got its start in late 2003 when the Sherwood Urban Renewal Agency purchased fiber for the city’s Old Town district to create a direct link to a data center in Portland for faster internet access. The city council then created the Sherwood Broadband utility in 2004. Initially Sherwood Broadband was focused on connecting city buildings and schools. It also initially operated as an open access network with the city providing the infrastructure and a partner providing the actual internet. Sherwood continues to maintain this capability for commercial and carrier-grade customers but now sells services directly to residential customers. In 2019 Sherwood Broadband decided to expand into residential areas and launched a fiber pilot project in 10 neighborhoods where conduit was already in place. In 2021 the municipality decided to launch a full rollout and the city council approved $20 million in revenue bonds to fund the expansion. Now the utility has secured more funding and plans to extend its fiber footprint to surrounding rural areas.

Customers: 1,200 to 1,500 (annual budget)

Competition: Like many municipal broadband providers, Sherwood faces competition from cable operator Xfinity, which is owned by Comcast. But it also has a fiber rival —Ziply Fiber —that offers symmetrical speeds.

How Sherwood Broadband Performs in Sherwood, OR
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Sherwood outpaces its competitors in median download speed with speeds ranging from the high 300 Mbps to the 400 Mbps. Sherwood has a median download speed of 390.95 Mbps in December 2024 and a median download speed of 399.41 Mbps in December 2025, which is higher than Xfinity with a median download speed of 272.36 Mbps in December 2024 and a median download speed of 376.68 Mbps. Ziply falls into third place with a median download speed of 226.79 Mbps in December 2024 and just 201.13 Mbps in December 2025.

Sherwood also comfortably outpaces both competitors in median upload speeds during the 13-month period with an upload speed of 291.06 Mbps in December 2024 and an upload speed of 296.59 Mbps in December 2025. Fellow fiber provider Ziply outperforms cableco Xfinity with median upload speeds starting at 214.56 Mbps in December 2024 and ending with upload speeds of 241.88 Mbps in December 2025.

Despite nearly doubling its median upload speeds from 23.72 Mbps in December 2024 to 41.45 Mbps in December 2025, Xfinity falls way below its fiber foes.

Sherwood Broadband also outpaces its peers by clocking in with low single-digit median multi-server latency in the range of 7 ms to 8 ms. Ziply Fiber also has very low median multi-server latency in the 9 ms to 10 ms range. Both fiber providers are far below Xfinity’s latency which is in the 23 ms to 25 ms range.

UTOPIA Fiber

Utah

Background: Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) Fiber is unique to this list because it’s an open access fiber optic network with more than 15 private ISPs operating on its network. UTOPIA was created in 2002 by eleven Utah cities. Those cities issued bonds to pay for the construction of the network, pledging their own sales tax revenue as collateral so if the network didn’t make enough money the cities had to cover the losses with their tax dollars. This model struggled and by 2008 the number of people signing up for service from UTOPIA was lagging and UTOPIA had to stop building its network.

In 2010 nine of the former 11 cities created the Utah Infrastructure Agency to address the flaws in the original UTOPIA business model. Unlike UTOPIA, which deployed a bunch of fiber and waited for people to sign up, the Utah Infrastructure Agency uses its funds to build specifically in areas where there is demand.

Customers: 70,000 subscribers as of year-end 2024 (release)

Competition: Because UTOPIA is an open access network in multiple Utah cities, it encounters several competitors. GFiber, formerly known as Google Fiber, is probably its largest foe. GFiber has a large presence in Salt Lake City and Provo and has been expanding into smaller cities in Utah. It also competes with Comcast’s Xfinity and TDS Telecom.

How UTOPIA Performs in Utah
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

GFiber outshines all the other providers in median download and upload speed. The company entered the Provo, Utah market in 2013 when it acquired iProvo, the city-owned fiber network and immediately upgraded it to gigabit speeds and provided free basic service to every home on the network for seven years. It later expanded to Salt Lake City in 2016. The company offers a variety of plans from 1-Gbps service all the way up to 8-Gbps service.

According to Speedtest data GFiber is consistently delivering median download speeds in the 400 Mbps range from 425.63 Mbps in December 2024 to 485.02 Mbps in December 2025.

UTOPIA Fiber falls below GFiber, cable provider Xfinity and TDS Telecom. TDS is a cable provider in southern Utah. Although TDS has been deploying some fiber in Utah, its speeds are more consistent with that of a cable provider because of its low median upload speeds and higher median multi-server latency.

UTOPIA, while lower than the competition in median download speeds, is consistently delivering speeds in the 200 Mbps range with 233.16 Mbps in December 2024 and 264.57 Mbps in December 2025.

GFiber leads the competition in median upload speeds with speeds from 320.75 Mbps in December 2024 to 356.76 Mbps in December 2025.

UTOPIA outpaces the cable competitors by delivering median upload speeds from 215.53 Mbps in December 2024 to 228.07 Mbps in December 2025.

GFiber also outpaces the competition in median multi-server latency by consistently delivering 4 ms of latency, which means its users will experience no noticeable delays. UTOPIA also outpaces Xfinity and TDS from December 2024 until July 2025 with a latency of just 6 ms. However, in August its latency increased to 7 ms and then again to 8 ms in September. Meanwhile TDS consistently delivered latency in the 8 ms to 9 ms range and Xfinity delivered a median multi-server latency in the 11 ms to 12 ms. range.

Community-led municipal networks

FairlawnGig

Fairlawn, OH

Background: FairlawnGig was created by the city of Fairlawn, Ohio, in 2016 with the goal of delivering better broadband speeds to the community as well as attracting more businesses to the area. The city financed the project with a $10 million bond and partnered with Fujitsu to be its network integrator. Construction started in 2016 and involved burying 55 miles of fiber optic cable. The network became operational later that year and reached every home and business within city limits by mid-2017. It later expanded to neighboring communities like Akron and Tallmadge.

Subscribers: FairlawnGig doesn’t report subscriber numbers but says it has a 60% take rate in an area with a population of about 7,500.

Competition: FairLawnGig’s primary competitor is Spectrum, which is owned by Charter Communications, and offers broadband services using hybrid fiber coax. The company has a $5.5 billion network evolution project that it is rolling out nationwide to improve its upload speeds and network latency through the use of high splits and DOCSIS 4.0.

How FairlawnGig Performs in Akron, OH
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

Speedtest data shows that FairlawnGig’s median download speeds increased 18.11% from December 2024 when it had a median download speed of 284.84 Mbps to 336.43 Mbps in December 2025. Spectrum also increased its median download speeds over that time period 14.14% from 316.65 Mbps to 361.42 Mbps.

While FairlawnGig and Spectrum have comparable median download speeds, upload speeds are another story. FairlawnGig has much higher median upload speeds than Spectrum. In December 2025 Fairlawn’s median upload speed of 236.61 Mbps was 90.48% higher than Spectrum’s upload speed of 22.52 Mbps.

Median multi-server latency is another big differentiator between FairlawnGig and Spectrum. FairlawnGig’s multi-server latency of 25 ms in December 2025 is 40% lower than Spectrum’s multi-server latency of 35 ms.

Greenlight Municipal Broadband

Wilson, NC

Background: The city of Wilson, North Carolina decided to build its own fiber network after failing to get private ISPs to upgrade their broadband infrastructure. In November 2006, the Wilson City Council voted unanimously to build their own network. Instead of using taxpayer money, they issued $28 million in bonds, intended to be paid back by the revenue from the service itself. In May 2008, the city officially launched service using the Greenlight moniker. In July 2013 it became the first city in North Carolina to offer 1 GPS service to every home and business in the community.

Customers: 19,239 (2025 Annual Report)

Competition: Spectrum, which is owned by Charter Communications, is Greenlight’s most significant competitor. Spectrum has invested heavily in its network in Wilson to try to match Greenlight’s offerings.

How Greenlight Fiber Performs in Wilson, NC
Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® | December 2024 – December 2025

According to Speedtest Intelligence data Spectrum outshines Greenlight when it comes to median download speeds. But Greenlight greatly outperforms Spectrum in median upload speeds and in median multi-server latency.

Muni-broadband deliver competitive offerings

Our review of 13-months of data in markets with municipal broadband providers shows that not only are these providers offering a valuable service to their residents, they also are often outperforming the national ISPs in upload speeds and latency.

By leveraging fiber technology and prioritizing community-specific needs, municipal networks like Fort Collins’ Connexion and Sherwood Broadband are delivering speeds that outperform their competitors in the market.

While traditional cable providers are making strides with network upgrades like mid-split technology to improve upload performance, they still largely trail the symmetrical speeds and low-latency profiles inherent to the “greenfield” fiber networks built by municipalities.

To find out more about Speedtest Intelligence® data and insights, visit our website.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | March 4, 2026

T-Mobile and Ookla Execs Discuss the Importance of Single-Digit Latency in the AI Era

With 6G networks of the future, every millisecond will matter.

Mobile networks are likely to be under pressure to meet the growing demands of multimodal applications as well as expanding requirements of AI over the coming years. Latency plays a key role in meeting these new demands and as operators migrate from non-standalone 5G (NSA) to standalone 5G (SA) and 5G advanced, they are engineering their networks to make them more responsive.

During a panel hosted by Ookla at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 3, Luke Kehoe, industry analyst at Ookla, moderated a discussion on latency and network responsiveness featuring Ankur Kapoor, EVP and chief network officer at T-Mobile US and Tibor Rathonyi, senior advisor at Ookla.

Kapoor noted that because NSA networks still rely on a 4G core, these two network technologies have to talk back-and-forth with each other, which keeps latency on the high side. Because SA networks eliminate that extra communications, latency becomes much more consistent from the device to the network core. Add Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput (L4S) to 5G SA and you have a network that is much more amenable to latency-sensitive applications such as video calls and gaming.

T-Mobile launched the first nationwide SA network in the U.S. in 2020 and then expanded SA to its 2.5 GHz spectrum in late 2022. The company launched nationwide 5G-Advanced in April 2025 and added L4S capability in July 2025.

“You want to have is consistent latency. You don’t want to have any peaks and valleys,” Kapoor said.

Rathonyi noted that Ookla’s network measurement tools are able to measure latency, both at idle and under load, and the quality of experience for different types of services such as gaming and web browsing.

“We see in our data that latency has a strong correlation to quality of experience,” Rathonyl said, adding that once networks get to single-digital latencies, it’s nearly an instantaneous experience for the end user.

However, this is just the beginning. Kapoor noted that he believes that 6G will be an “architectural shift” for wireless networks and will have to be AI native. “That’s where the industry is headed,” he noted.

“Training Wheels for 6G”

In fact, Kapoor describes the SA networks of today as the “training wheels” for the 6G networks of the future because 6G networks will not just be processing bits and bytes like 4G and 5G networks but will act as the “connective tissue” for physical AI.

What does he mean by “connective tissue?” Kapoor said he believes 6G will be processing “tokens.” In the AI world, a token is a basic unit of information that a model processes. AI models break down data into chunks, or tokens.

And when networks start processing AI tokens, uplink and latency become more important, Kapoor said. “Now every millisecond matters,” he said.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | March 3, 2026

Converged Networks Deliver Stickier Customers and Seamless Experiences, Panelists say

Telecom leaders from AT&T, BT, Comcast and Rakuten joined Ookla in a panel discussion on the benefits of convergence at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona.

Convergence—a telecom industry buzzword from the 1990s— is experiencing a revival. While the 1990s version of convergence referred to the combination of telephone, television and computing, the 2026 version applies to the merging of fixed, wireless, Wi-Fi, and satellite. Regardless of the services being converged, the goals today remain very similar to those of the past.

During a panel hosted by Ookla at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 2, Mike Dano, lead industry analyst at Ookla, moderated a discussion on convergence featuring Gordon Mansfield, vice president of global technology planning & engineering at AT&T; Reza Rahnama, managing director of mobile networks at BT; Samian Kaur, vice president of wireless network engineering at Comcast; and Mahmoud Elsakhawy, vice director of mobile networks supervisory department at Rakuten Mobile.

During the discussion panelists agreed that the main benefits of delivering a converged network experience are that it creates a seamless experience for customers and adds more value to both the customer and the operator. For the customer, convergence often translates into a bundled price. For the operator, it means reduced churn. “When you provide a premium experience that is converged [the customers] are stickier and stay with you longer,” Mansfield said.

However operators need to deliver more than seamless connectivity, they must also ensure that the customer is getting the best network experience possible. BT’s Rahnama noted that often when a customer is indoors, the best connectivity is through the Wi-Fi network instead of the cellular network. That means the operator must be “connection agnostic” to deliver the best experience for the customer.

But convergence is also about offering customers new experiences. “Convergence means instead of selling technology, we are selling experiences,” said Comcast’s Kaur. “We want to take a converged asset and build on top of it.”

For Comcast that means not just limiting convergence to the merging of its Wi-Fi hotspot network with its cellular MVNO offering, it’s also including entertainment services and security.

Rakuten Mobile also views convergence as delivering much more than connectivity. Because Rakuten Mobile is part of a much larger ecosystem that includes insurance, banking, fintech and health, the operator’s goal is to offer the user the best connectivity so he or she can access these other services with ease.

Differentiation is the Goal

Although some may argue that convergence is really just bundled pricing, the panelists said that it’s about creating value and delivering customers a differentiated offering. Comcast’s Kaur noted that the company’s premium customers get high-speed broadband, wireless services, and entertainment. “It’s not a race to the bottom, it’s an opportunity to differentiate,” she said.

For Rakuten, convergence offers the ability to personalize services through Link, the company’s super application that functions as a gateway to its other services.

True convergence—where the user doesn’t really even know if they are using a mobile, fixed or satellite network—is likely still a few years into the future. “Convergence is a journey and consumers will always expect more,” Mansfield said.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | February 6, 2026

Verizon 5G is the MVP at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX

All three mobile operators improved their network speeds at Levi’s Stadium in preparation for the big game.

The 65,000 or more football fans heading to Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, this Sunday, will likely experience fast 5G upload and download speeds from all three of the big wireless providers. This high-visibility event is considered a prime opportunity for mobile operators to showcase their wireless networks.

But Verizon outshines its competitors in median upload, median download, and median multi-server latency at Levi’s Stadium, according to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data.

The operator’s dominant position is likely a result of Verizon’s lengthy partnership with the National Football League (NFL). Verizon signed a 10-year deal with the NFL in 2021 to equip multiple stadiums with 5G and use that technology to enhance the fan experience.

Key Takeaways:

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile users at Levi’s Stadium all experienced significant increases in median download and median upload speeds from June 2025 to January 2026.

Verizon tops its competitors AT&T and T-Mobile in network speeds at Levi’s Stadium. The operator’s median download speed hit 1464.38 Mbps in January 2026, which is much higher than T-Mobile’s median download speed of 768.01 Mbps and AT&T’s median download speed of 796.61 Mbps.
Verizon’s median multi-server latency is half that of T-Mobile. In January 2026 Verizon’s median multi-server latency was just 17 milliseconds (ms) compared to AT&T’s latency of 24 ms and T-Mobile’s 34 ms of latency.

Prepping the network for the big game

Lots of work went into preparing the wireless networks at Levi’s Stadium for the big game. In August 2024, stadium management said it upgraded its distributed antenna system (DAS) to 5G with the help of system integrator America Fujikura Ltd (AFL). This DAS upgrade was intended to help ensure fans have connectivity throughout the stadium and was part of a big tech upgrade the stadium undertook in preparation for hosting the Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

In addition to the DAS, Verizon also improved its network with additional deployments of mmWave and C-band antennas throughout the stadium and in its parking lots.

Verizon spent billions over the last several years to acquire mmWave spectrum licenses. mmWave provides 5G with massive “data pipes” that enable multi-gigabit speeds and faster response times. However, the signals have a very short range so they are best if used to provide high-capacity coverage in crowded areas like stadiums and urban centers.

Verizon also said it deployed a dedicated C-band small cell in the ride-share area specifically to create a better experience for fans as they arrive and depart.

AT&T said it made upgrades to the Levi Stadium DAS, expanded its macro sites and small cells within the stadium, and deployed Cell on Wheels (CoW) and Cell on Light Truck (COLT), to provide temporary network coverage for high-traffic events.

AT&T’s improvements are part of its Turbo Live program. The new paid service from AT&T provides priority cellular performance during big sporting events and concerts. AT&T is rolling this service out to 10 stadiums, including Levi’s Stadium, and will charge up to $15 for the service.

Bandwidth blitz: mobile performance rises across all three operators

Users across all three mobile operators experienced better network speeds at Levi’s Stadium during the seven-month period leading up to the Super Bowl. Verizon’s median download speed increased from 914.30 Mbps in June 2025 to 1464.38 Mbps in January 2026. T-Mobile’s median download speed increased from 132.61 Mbps in June to 768.01 Mbps in January 2026 and AT&T’s median download speed jumped from 238.56 Mbps to 796.61 Mbps.

Upload speeds across all three operators also significantly increased during that six-month time frame, however Verizon’s median upload speed is well above its peers. Upload speed is becoming a bigger priority for game-goers as many fans want to livestream snippets of game play and half-time entertainment.

Verizon’s median upload speed grew from 115.98 Mbps in June 2025 to 244.06 Mbps in January 2026. T-Mobile’s median upload speed increased from 18.48 Mbps in June to 101.04 Mbps in January. And AT&T’s median upload speed nearly doubled during that seven-month time period from 40.99 Mbps to 79.71 Mbps.

It’s important to note that the network speeds consumers experience at Levi’s Stadium are optimized for the in-stadium experience and vary greatly from the network speeds that are typically experienced elsewhere. These speeds also represent the network capacity that is available to ensure that there is enough speed available for all 65,000-plus fans that are expected to attend stadium events.

For comparison, according to Ookla’s latest Speedtest Connectivity Report, during the second half of 2025 the median download speed across all carriers in San Jose, California, which is just a few miles from Levi’s Stadium, was 167.57 Mbps and the median upload speed was 11.8 Mbps.

Network Performance at Levi's Stadium, Home of Super Bowl LX
Speedtest Intelligence® | June 2025 – January 2026
A look at download, upload and latency for the three top US providers over time at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

Latency goes low

Another area where Verizon stands apart from its peers is in median multi-server latency, which is the measure of the responsiveness of the network. Verizon’s latency is half that of T-Mobile, indicating that Verizon users will likely see a more immediate reaction when they click on a link on their phone. In January 2026 Verizon’s median multi-server latency was just 17 milliseconds (ms) compared to AT&T’s latency of 24 ms and T-Mobile’s 34 ms of latency.

These latency measurements at Levi’s Stadium are also dramatically lower than the typical consumer experience outside the stadium. For reference, according to Ookla’s Speedtest Connectivity report from the second half of 2025 the median multi-server latency from all providers from nearby San Jose, California, was 41 ms.

Throughput throwdown: comparing past Super Bowl performance

Speedtest data from Levi’s Stadium shows all three providers have increased their network speeds and decreased median multi-server latency in the months leading up to Sunday’s game with Verizon leading its peers.

A look back at the performance of the big-three operators at Super Bowl LIX in February 2025 at Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans shows similar results.

On February 9, 2025 during Super Bowl LIX at Caesar’s Superdome Ookla Speedtest data clocked Verizon with a median download speed of 1190.53 Mbps compared to AT&T with a median download speed of 683.13 Mbps and T-Mobile’s median download speed of 562.95 Mbps.

Likewise Verizon also was a leader in median upload speeds on game day with speeds of 101.38 Mbps compared to AT&T at 20.72 Mbps and T-Mobile at 21.12 Mbps.

It’s interesting to note the difference in upload speeds for all three providers from January 2026 at Levi’s Stadium as compared to February 2025 at Caesars Superdome.

Verizon’s median upload speed of 244.06 Mbps at Levi’s Stadium in January 2026 is more than 2x that of its median upload speed the prior year at Caesars Superdome. T-Mobile’s median upload speed of 101.04 Mbps in January at Levi’s Stadium is more than 4.5x that of its median upload speed of 21.12 Mbps in February 2025 at Caesars Superdome. And AT&T’s median upload speed of 79.71 Mbps in January 2026 at Levi’s Stadium is more than 3x that of its median upload speed of 20.72 Mbps from February 2025 at Caesars Superdome.

Network Performance at Caesars Superdome, Home of Super Bowl LIX
Speedtest Intelligence® | February 2025
Network performance at Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Home of Super Bowl LIX during February 2025.

Verizon Wins the Connectivity Bowl

While all three major carriers have significantly bolstered their network performance at Levi’s Stadium in anticipation of Super Bowl LX, Verizon claims the top position. By leveraging a decade-long partnership with the NFL and aggressive deployments of mmWave and C-band technology, Verizon has developed a strong lead over its peers.
But the real winners are the fans. The 65,000 attendees at Levi’s Stadium can expect to have a strong wireless experience on game day and throughout the rest of the year. Levi’s Stadium is just one example of how operators and stadium owners are investing in permanent infrastructure upgrades to ensure better connectivity at stadium events throughout the year.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | December 15, 2025

U.S. FWA Providers: Seasonal Slump or Victim of Their Own Success?

T-Mobile is the FWA speed leader with a median download speed which is approximately double that of AT&T.

5G fixed wireless access (FWA) is a popular and growing broadband option in the U.S. with the top three U.S. FWA providers —T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon — adding 1.04 million new subscribers in Q3 2025 bringing the total number of FWA customers to 14.7 million, which is slightly more than 12.5% of the 117.4 million U.S. households with broadband, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey.

In Ookla’s March 2025 U.S. FWA report, we tracked download and upload speeds from Q1 2023 to Q4 2024 and found that overall FWA speeds were on the upswing over time with T-Mobile leading its peers in both median download and upload speeds.

According to recent Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data, T-Mobile maintains its FWA leadership position with median download speed of 209.06 Mbps for Q3 2025, which is approximately double that of AT&T’s median download speed of 104.63 Mbps in the same quarter.

However, there was a noticeable decline in all three providers’ download and upload speeds during Q2 2025 and Q3 2025, which may be a seasonal pattern as we saw a similar decline in median upload speeds for all three operators in Q2 and Q3 2024 and a decline in download speeds for AT&T and Verizon in Q2 and Q3 2024. It’s also possible that this may be an early indication that strong uptake in FWA is starting to impact performance.

Key Takeaways

Speedtest users from all three U.S. FWA providers—T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T—experienced declines in both their median download and upload speeds during Q2 2025 and Q3 2025.
T-Mobile is the FWA speed leader. T-Mobile’s median download speed of 209.06 Mbps in Q3 2025 is approximately double AT&T’s median download speed of 104.63 Mbps in the same quarter.
AT&T and T-Mobile customers in the 10th percentile of users are experiencing speed declines during peak hours in the late afternoon and evening. Verizon subscribers in the 10th percentile don’t have the same sorts of declines, indicating the operator’s enforcement of speed caps may be helping it deliver a more consistent experience to those customers.
AT&T Internet Air’s latency is higher than its peers but it’s improving. In Q3 AT&T’s median latency was 67 milliseconds (ms) compared to Verizon at 54 ms and T-Mobile at 50 ms. However, AT&T’s latency is improving every quarter from a high of 78 ms in Q3 2024.

Seasonal dip in speeds or network congestion?

Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T all experienced a decline in median download speeds in Q2 and Q3 2025. T-Mobile’s median download speeds dipped from 221.65 Mbps in Q1 2025 to 209.06 Mbps in Q3 2025, Verizon’s declined from 167.30 Mbps in Q1 2025 to 137.81 Mbps in Q3 2025 and AT&T’s dropped from 114.34 Mbps to 104.363 Mbps over the same time period.

Ookla Speedtest data saw a similar trend for Verizon and AT&T during Q2 and Q3 2024. FWA users from both operators experienced a decline in median speeds during these two quarters but T-Mobile does not. Verizon Speedtest users experienced a decline in their median download speeds from 140.14 Mbps in Q1 2024 to 115.68 Mbps in Q3 2024 before bouncing back to 150.47 Mbps in Q4 2024.

AT&T Internet Air users also saw a decline from 141.28 Mbps in Q1 2024 to 130.13 Mbps in Q3 2024. However, unlike Verizon, AT&T’s median download speeds didn’t bounce back up. In fact, users of AT&T Internet Air service experienced a steady decline from Q1 2024 median download speeds of 141.28 Mbps to 104.63 Mbps in Q3 2025. AT&T doesn’t guarantee speeds for its Internet Air service but says that users can expect download speeds from 90 Mbps to 300 Mbps and upload speeds from 8 Mbps to 30 Mbps.

Upload speeds also declined with T-Mobile’s median upload speed dropping from 24.03 Mbps in Q1 2025 to 15.49 Mbps in Q3 2025. Likewise, Verizon’s median upload speed declined from 15.23 Mbps in Q1 2025 to 11.40 Mbps in Q3 2025 and AT&T’s dropped from 13.13 Mbps to 9.25 Mbps during the same time period.

It’s not clear that these fluctuations in speeds that we are seeing are due to seasonality or if it’s an indicator of network congestion.

The impact of foliage on FWA speeds is common knowledge among RF engineers. The signal loss typically occurs during the spring and summer months (Q2 and Q3) when deciduous trees are filled with dense leaves that can weaken FWA signals. While this phenomenon is more evident with FWA signals in higher bandwidth spectrum such as millimeter wave (mmWave), it also causes degradation in mid-band spectrum in areas with a lot of trees, such as suburban and urban neighborhoods with tree-lined streets.

However, network congestion could also be a factor. There have long been concerns from the investment community and others about traffic from FWA subscribers causing congestion and impacting the performance of both mobile and FWA customers because the same 5G spectrum is being used to deliver both services. We will continue to monitor the network speeds of FWA subscribers to see if this is an ongoing pattern.

A Comparison of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon's FWA s Median Download and Upload Speeds
Q3 2023 through Q3 2025
A comparison of FWA providers median download and upload speed over time.

90th percentile showcases rise in AT&T’s download speeds

Although AT&T Internet Air’s median download speeds have declined over time from a high of 134.77 Mbps in Q2 2024 to a low of 104.83 Mbps, when we look at the experience of Speedtest users in the 90th percentile (those that get the best user experience) AT&T’s download speeds climb from 351.93 Mbps in Q2 2024 to 411.38 Mbps in Q3 2025.

We may see more improvements to AT&T’s Internet Air performance in the coming months. The company cut a deal with EchoStar to pay $23 billion to purchase a 20MHz swath of 600 MHz spectrum and a 30MHz chunk of 3.45 GHz spectrum licenses. Together the licenses cover 400 markets across the U.S. The deal isn’t expected to close until mid-2026, but AT&T said in mid-November that it has already outfitted 23,000 cell sites with gear that can use the 3.45 GHz spectrum and is expecting both its 5G mobile and Internet Air FWA customers to benefit from that additional spectrum quickly.

With AT&T’s acquisition of EchoStar’s spectrum the company is expected to be more aggressive in its expansion of the FWA service but its overall strategy hasn’t changed. During its Q3 2025 earnings call with investors company executives said they still consider FWA as a flexible broadband option that will be used to capture market share in areas where fiber is not yet available.

Like AT&T, T-Mobile’s 90th percentile users see their speeds increase dramatically from 402.49 Mbps in Q1 2024 to 482.36 Mbps in Q3 2025.

The 90th percentile data also shows that Verizon is still enforcing its FWA data speed caps at 300 Mbps for download speeds and 20 Mbps for upload speeds, which the operator spells out in its 5G Home broadband price plan disclosures. We first wrote about this in our March 2025 report.

T-Mobile and AT&T may not be enforcing data speed caps like Verizon, however both providers disclose in their Terms of Service that they will temporarily slow speeds during times of network congestion and it appears that they may be doing that during peak hours (see below).

U.S. 5G FWA 90th Percentile Download and Upload Speeds
Q3 2023 through Q3 2025
A comparison of FWA providers 90th percentile download and upload speed over time.

T-Mobile, AT&T FWA users see speed variations during the day

When looking at the download speeds of the 10th percentile of Speedtest users by hour of day in Q3 2025, we see that AT&T and T-Mobile customers, in particular, are experiencing speed declines during peak hours starting in the late afternoon and progressing through the evening with the lowest speed occurring between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

However, it’s interesting to note that Verizon’s 10th percentile Speedtest users are not experiencing the same speed variations during those peak hours. As part of its network management, Verizon caps its speeds at 300 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload and this network optimization scheme may be allowing them to better allocate network resources so they can deliver a more consistent customer experience.

It’s also likely that some of the AT&T and T-Mobile speed declines that we see during the peak hours may be due to the operators temporarily reducing the speeds of their FWA users during periods of heavy network traffic.

U.S. 5G FWA Customer Download Speeds by Hour of Day
Q3 2025
10th percentile download speeds (Mbps)

AT&T’s latency is higher than peers

AT&T’s median multi-server latency is consistently higher than its peers. In Q3 AT&T’s median latency was 67 milliseconds (ms) compared to Verizon at 54 ms and T-Mobile at 50 ms. However, it appears that AT&T’s latency is improving every quarter from a high of 78 ms in Q3 2024. Latency is a key measurement for FWA subscribers and higher latency will impact real-time applications such as online gaming and video conferencing.

AT&T was a late entrant to the FWA space, having launched its Internet Air service in August 2023. The company says it only deploys the service in areas with enough wireless coverage and capacity to deliver FWA service without impacting its mobile service.

U.S. 5G FWA Median Multi-server Latency
Q3 2023 through Q3 2025
A comparison of FWA providers Median Latency over time.

Urban FWA users are more likely to receive 100/20 Mbps broadband speeds

A higher percentage of urban FWA users across all three providers are experiencing the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband of 100 Mbps download speed and 20 Mbps upload speed than rural FWA users. Ookla uses the Census Bureau’s urban-rural classification to determine which users are urban vs. rural.

We compared the percentage of urban vs. rural FWA users from each provider that experience speeds of 100/20 Mbps in Q3 2025 and found that 42% of T-Mobile’s urban FWA subscribers experience speeds of 100/20 Mbps compared to 26.9% of its rural FWA customers.

In addition, 25.7% of Verizon’s urban FWA subscribers experience the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband compared to 14.7% of its rural FWA customers.

AT&T also has more urban FWA subscribers experiencing the minimum broadband speeds with 21% compared to 16.7% of its rural customers.

It’s important to note that the lag in median upload speeds is the primary reason that FWA users are not meeting the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband service. As noted above, median upload speeds for all providers in Q3 2025 were below the 20 Mbps threshold.

The higher percentage of urban FWA users experiencing broadband speeds than rural users is likely due in part to urban users having closer proximity to cell sites than rural users. In cities FWA cell sites are much closer together due to the density of the population which means signals don’t have to travel as far to reach customers. In rural areas homes are more spread out and FWA signals have to travel farther which means the signal is degraded and speeds are slower.

The Percentage of Urban vs. Rural FWA Users that Experience the FCC's Minimum Standard for Broadband
Q2 2025 vs. Q3 2025
The percentage of FWA Speedtest users that are able to get the FCC's inimum standard of broadband of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds in the U.S.

Upper C-band auction may supercharge FWA

While those 1.04 million FWA subscribers that the big three operators added in Q3 is up slightly over Q2 2025 when AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile added a total of 935,000 in the quarter, analysts at New Street Research predict a slight slowdown in FWA subscriber additions in 2026 to around 3.6 million for the year, down from the 3.7 million to 3.8 million that the U.S. has experienced over the past three years. New Street said it expects Verizon and T-Mobile’s subscriber additions to slow but AT&T’s will hold steady since it’s a newer entrant in the market.

This slowdown in subscriber additions will happen as fiber buildout accelerates and more fiber subscribers are added and as the total number of broadband households nears saturation.

Both T-Mobile and Verizon have increased their long-term FWA targets to 12 million customers by 2028 for T-Mobile and 8 million to 9 million FWA subscribers by 2028 for Verizon. However, New Street did note that the FCC’s proposed auction of the upper C-band spectrum could provide additional capacity for the mobile operators and result in another four million FWA subscribers beyond those original goals. That C-band spectrum auction isn’t expected to occur until 2027 so the impact of this new spectrum may still be several years away.

Besides the possible auction of upper C-band spectrum, there are other notable developments in the FWA space:

Verizon announced in October that it is purchasing fixed wireless ISP Starry, which currently delivers broadband to about 100,000 subscribers in multi-dwelling units (MDU) in five markets. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. Verizon plans to integrate Starry’s mmWave technology with its own mmWave spectrum assets and leverage its fiber footprint for backhaul so it can deliver broadband to more MDU environments.
Besides AT&T’s acquisition of spectrum from EchoStar that was mentioned above, the company also received approval in early December from the FCC for its $1 billion purchase of 3.45 GHz mid-band and 700 MHz low-band licenses from UScellular. This additional 3.45 GHz spectrum is particularly valuable for 5G and FWA and will likely allow AT&T to expand its FWA service into new markets.

We expect U.S. operators to aggressively pursue the FWA market in the coming year and we will continue to monitor the FWA customer experience as these operators expand their offerings.

To find out more about Speedtest Intelligence® data and insights, visit our website.

About the author

Sue Marek

Ookla Research™ Articles

Sue Marek | November 17, 2025

WISP Report Card: Data Shows Most Fail FCC’s 100/20 Mbps Benchmark

Wireless ISPs face a growing threat from LEO satellite providers like Starlink that can reach rural users with faster download speeds.

There are around 2,000 U.S. wireless internet service providers (WISPs) and about nine million Americans get their internet service from these companies, according to the Wireless ISP Association (WISPA). Many of these WISPs are very small and provide service to just a few hundred customers.

WISPs have become more prevalent over the past few years largely due to the introduction of vendor equipment that makes it possible to more cost-effectively deliver better coverage using unlicensed spectrum and commercial off-the-shelf hardware.

WISPs deliver their services using fixed wireless access (FWA) but they tend to be smaller and focused on certain markets such as rural areas or apartment complexes than the large telcos like Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T, which also use FWA technology to deliver broadband services across the country. However, unlike the WISPs, these operators don’t consider broadband to be their primary business.

Using Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence® data, we examined the performance of eight of the larger U.S. WISPs—Etheric Networks, GeoLinks, NextLink Internet, Resound Networks, Rise Broadband, Starry, Unwired Broadband, and Wisper Internet — from Q1 2021 through Q2 2025. For those providers that offer both FWA and fiber, we categorized users with upload speeds under 100 Mbps as FWA customers to distinguish them from fiber users. While all eight of the WISPs that we monitored improved their median download speeds during that time period, their performance varies greatly.

Key Takeaways

Starry, which is being acquired by Verizon, delivered the highest median download speeds (202.25 Mbps in Q2 2025) of all eight U.S. WISPs that we studied.
GeoLinks delivered the slowest median download speeds (22.74 Mbps in Q2 2025) of the WISPs we reviewed. Its users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) experienced download speeds of 56.58 Mbps in Q2 2025. We measured GeoLinks customers in its California markets where the company currently uses an older platform on 5 GHz spectrum.
Because of Starry’s faster speeds, the WISP was able to deliver the FCC’s minimum requirement for broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps to 66.88% of Speedtest users in Q2 2025.
WISPs face a growing threat from low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers like Starlink, which can reach rural users with download speeds that are often faster than WISPs.
To continue to compete in the broadband space, WISPs need to find ways to secure more spectrum to avoid network congestion and interference.

The Many Flavors of WISPs

The performance of WISPs in the U.S. is under scrutiny right now because of recent changes that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) made to the Broadband Equity and Deployment (BEAD) program. In June 2025 the NTIA revamped BEAD to provide a technology-neutral approach and prioritize cost-per-location.This means that instead of favoring fiber, other technologies such as low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite and FWA can compete with fiber for BEAD funding. The revisions also include a rule to ensure that bids go to the lowest-cost bidders.

States revised their BEAD applications and re-submitted them using the new guidance. Early indications are that many states plan to use FWA for at least a portion of their BEAD eligible locations. Connected Nation, a non-profit that monitors the digital divide, found that states have awarded 11.7% of eligible locations to FWA providers, and many of those FWA providers are categorized as wireless ISPs (WISPs).

We analyzed the performance of eight of the largest U.S. WISPs over several quarters from Q1 2021 until Q2 2025. However, it’s important to note that all of these companies vary greatly in terms of their spectrum holdings, their business models, their coverage areas, and their vendor equipment, which drives a large variance in performance outcomes.

Nevertheless, it’s notable that all eight of the WISPs we monitored improved their median download speeds during that time period. They also improved their median upload speeds, but to a much lesser extent.

Starry outpaced all the others and recorded the highest median download speeds. In Q2 2025 Starry’s median download speed was 202.25 Mbps, which is more than double that of the Resound Networks with a median download speed of 99.41 Mbps in Q2 2025. Starry also was nearly nine times higher in median download speeds than the slowest of the eight WISPs, GeoLinks, which had a median download speed of just 22.74 Mbps in Q2 2025.

A Comparison of WISPs Median Download and Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
A comparison of WISPs median download and upload speed over time.

The eight WISPs and their coverage areas

Name	States where WISP operates	Spectrum used
Etheric Networks	California	2.4 MHz, 5.8 GHz unlicensed and 28 GHz licensed
GeoLinks	California, Arizona, and Nevada	unlicensed 5 GHz, LMDS 29-31 GHz spectrum, unlicensed 59-71 GHz spectrum
NextLink	Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska	2.4 MHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz
Resound Networks	Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas	6 GHz unlicensed, 5 GHz unlicensed, and 3.65 GHz licensed
Rise Broadband	16 states including Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Texas and Southern Wisconsin	unlicensed 5 GHz, unlicensed 3.65 GHz, licensed 2.5 GHz, and some TV white space spectrum at 470-698 MHz
Starry Broadband	Major cities such as Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, DC	37 GHz licensed, 24 GHz licensed, some 5 GHz unlicensed
Unwired Broadband	California	unlicensed 6 GHz
Wisper Wireless	Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, and Illinois	3.5 GHz (CBRS), 5.1 GHz, and maybe 6 GHz

Most WISPs struggle to deliver the FCC’s minimum broadband speeds to their customers

All of the eight WISPs use a different configuration of spectrum licenses. Most are reliant upon some combination of low-, mid-, or high-band licensed and unlicensed spectrum. In addition, many have deployed fiber either as an alternative to their FWA service or to use to carry backhaul or middle-mile traffic.

While using unlicensed spectrum means that a WISP can launch services quickly without having to purchase costly spectrum licenses, it also means that congestion and interference can result in the WISP having to carefully manage demand for their services.

Using Speedtest data collected in Q2 2025 we compared the median download and upload speeds of the eight WISPs to determine what percentage of their Speedtest users were receiving the FCC’s minimum standard for fixed broadband speeds (100 Mbps downstream/20 Mbps upstream).

Starry, which has mmWave spectrum licenses and uses proprietary equipment, is able to provide the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband to the highest percentage of users at 66.9%. In contrast Rise Broadband, which primarily operates with unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band and in the 3.55 GHz to 3.7 GHz bands (CBRS), but also uses some licensed spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band, is able to provide the FCC’s minimum requirement for broadband to just 6.7% of its users.

WISPs	% of Speedtest users achieving wireless broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps
Starry	66.9%
Resound Networks	41.5%
Wisper Internet	26.0%
NextLink	24.4%
Unwired	21.8%
GeoLinks	8.7%
Etheric	8.4%
Rise Broadband	6.7%

mmWave’s bigger pipe doesn’t always equal faster speeds

Starry, GeoLinks and Etheric all use some combination of high-band spectrum to deliver their FWA services. The benefits of this spectrum is it can deliver faster speeds and carry bandwidth-intensive applications. But it also requires line-of-sight or near-line-of-sight to work because of potential interference from buildings, trees, and even rain.

Among the three providers that use mmWave spectrum we saw dramatic differences with Starry significantly outperforming GeoLinks and Etheric, which suggest that Starry has a greater penetration of mmWave spectrum among its customer base that is benefitting the WISP.

Starry

Starry uses a proprietary technology with base stations that cover a radius of about one mile and its system operates on shared spectrum licenses in the 37.1, 37.3 and 37.5 GHz mmWave bands. It also acquired 104 licenses in the 24 GHz band that cover 51 partial economic areas.

The company targets large apartment buildings with its service. Its setup consists of a rooftop base station that broadcasts a signal to multiple building-mounted receivers, allowing a single base station to serve dozens of buildings. Although it uses proprietary equipment it’s based upon modified 802.11ac/ax standards that takes advantage of the Wi-Fi chipset ecosystem.

The company, which is currently being acquired by Verizon, offers service to about 100,000 subscribers in apartment buildings in five markets; Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, and Washington, D.C./Virginia.

Starry offers a variety of rate plans: $30 per month for up to 200 Mbps; $55 per month for up to 500 Mbps; and $75 per month for up to 1 Gbps.

Ookla’s Speedtest® data shows that Starry has nearly doubled its median download speeds in its markets from 102.74 Mbps in Q1 2022 to 202.25 Mbps in Q2 2025. The company’s upload speed also increased, but not as dramatically from 52.29 Mbps in Q1 2022 to 54.34 Mbps in Q2 2025. The company saw the biggest increase in speeds from Q1 2024 to Q2 2025, which is likely due to some network upgrades, including the deployment of the 2.0 version of its Comet receiver. Starry said the upgrades would expand its coverage range as well as provide better spectral efficiency.

Starry's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Starry's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

GeoLinks

GeoLinks uses local multipoint distribution services (LMDS) spectrum that it acquired from Verizon in 2021 as well as some unlicensed 5 GHz and unlicensed 59-61 GHz spectrum. Those 208 LMDS licenses are in the 29/31 GHz bands and cover several markets. However, GeoLinks currently offers service primarily in California and has a few deployments in Arizona and Nevada, but our Speedtest data samples were all collected from the company’s California deployment where it is currently using the unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum and an older platform..

The company recently tested Intracom Telecom’s point-to-multipoint equipment to demonstrate multi-gigabit FWA using its 29/31GHz mmWave spectrum. In addition, it has indicated that it is interested in leasing its spectrum to other enterprises and operators that can then use its spectrum holdings to develop their own FWA services.

GeoLinks offers a variety of price plans: $25.99 per month for speeds of 10/10 Mbps; $38.99 per month for 25/10 Mbps; $45.99 per month for 30/30 Mbps; and $69.99 per month for speeds of 100/25 Mbps. The company’s web site indicates that the $45.99 per month plan that delivers 30/30 Mbps is the most popular plan with its customers.

Speedtest data shows Geolinks delivering median download speeds of just 22.74 Mbps in Q2 2025 with 75th percentile download speeds of 56.58 Mbps. Its users experience median upload speeds of 19.82 Mbps in Q2 2025.

GeoLink's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
GeoLink's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Etheric Networks

Etheric Networks provides FWA service to the California Bay Area. The company has a fiber ring stretching from San Francisco to Monterey, California that connects its FWA towers and eight data centers. Etheric uses a mix of spectrum including unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz spectrum. However, in 2024 Etheric partnered with BroadbandOne to leverage BroadbandOne’s 28 GHz mmWave spectrum. The company said this partnership will allow it to enhance its connectivity and serve more rural and agricultural areas.

The company offers three residential price plans: $79 per month for speeds up to 100 Mbps; $99 per month for speeds up to 250 Mbps and $169 per month for 1 Gbps speeds.

Speedtest data shows Etheric has nearly doubled its median download speeds from 21.34 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 41.09 Mbps in Q2 2025. Its users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) saw speeds of 65.45 Mbps in Q2 2025.The company’s median upload speeds also increased over time from 13.6 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 29.5 Mbps in Q2 2025.

Etheric Networks' Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Etheric Networks' median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

WISPs make the most of mid-band with CBRS licenses

Many WISPs take advantage of the mid-band CBRS spectrum, which is a 150 MHz shared spectrum in the 3.5 GHz to 3.7 GHz band that allows for flexible use by three different groups that are managed by a Spectrum Access System (SAS). The SAS can dynamically grant access to different users. The band is shared by these three parties: incumbent users such as the U.S. Navy that have priority access to the band; licensed users with Priority Access Licenses (PAL) that have exclusive use of a portion of the band in a specific geographic location; and the General Authorized Access (GAA) group who can access the spectrum but have no protection from interference from the other two groups.

Several of the WISPs we analyzed deploy their services in the CBRS spectrum and primarily use the GAA portion of the band. Others have acquired CBRS PAL and some use a combination of both. Some WISPS also use unlicensed bands such as 5 GHz.

NextLink

Nextlink spent $28.4 million in FCC’s Auction 105 to purchase over 1,100 CBRS PAL licenses covering 491 counties in eleven states including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Wyoming, and Missouri. The company uses that spectrum to deliver its FWA service to its more than 100,000 subscribers (as of August 2025). NextLink also has deployed fiber to more than 100,000 locations and has 20,000 fiber customers.

Nextlink secured Connect America Fund II funding and participated in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund so much of its FWA expansion has been driven by those commitments. In August Nextlink said it has completed five of the six states as part of its CAF II funding and is halfway through its RDOF buildout.

The company offers a variety of FWA plans: The Next50, which offers up to 50 Mbps speeds for $30 per month; the Next100 that offers speeds up to 100 Mbps for $40 per month; The Next300 that offers speeds up to 300 Mbps for $60 per month; and the Next500 that offers speeds up to 500 Mbps for $75 per month.

Speedtest data shows NextLink has more than tripled its median download speeds from 19.45 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 68.47 Mbps in Q2 2025. The WISP also increased its median upload speeds significantly from 4.72 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 18.26 Mbps in Q2 2025. NextLink users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) get much higher speeds of 122.88 Mbps in Q2 2025.

NextLink's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
NextLink's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Resound Networks

Resound Networks provides FWA service in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Arizona and Oklahoma and uses Tarana Wireless gear in the unlicensed 5 GHz and 6 GHz spectrum bands. It also offers fiber service in some locations and is planning to expand its fiber footprint. Like many WISPs, Resound is focused specifically on rural communities that have historically been overlooked by larger ISPs. In 2022 the company was awarded $303 million through the FCC’s RDOF program to deliver FWA and fiber to 214,000 rural locations.

Resound offers both residential and enterprise rate plans. Its residential plans start at 75 Mbps for $55 per month and go up to 1 Gbps for $130 per month.

The company’s customers experienced a steady increase in their download and upload speeds from mid-2023 until Q2 2025 from a median download speed of 38.94 Mbps in Q3 2023 to 99.41 Mbps in Q2 2025. Its users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) experienced an even greater climb in download speeds from 62.99 Mbps in Q3 2023 to 190.76 Mbps in Q2 2025. During this time period Resound was expanding its network.

Resound Network's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Resound's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Rise Broadband

Rise Broadband claims to be the country’s largest WISP with around 200,000 customers. It may also be one of the longest living WISPs because it dates back to 2006 when it started as JAB Broadband and its goal was to consolidate many of the country’s smaller WISPs to create one big WISP with a large footprint.

Today Rise offers FWA service in16 states, mostly in the Midwest. Rise offers service primarily in rural areas and it uses a mix of unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band and in the 3.55 GHz to 3.7 GHz bands (CBRS), but also uses some licensed spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band, to deliver its service.

Like NextLink, the company is actively deploying fiber in addition to FWA. The company’s strategy is to deploy FWA initially to capture market share and then roll out fiber to the densest FWA coverage areas.

Rise’s price plans start as low as $30 per month for 50 Mbps and reach up to 400 Mbps for $55 per month.

Rise users logged median download speeds of 42.58 Mbps in Q2 2025, which is a significant jump from Q1 2021 when users experienced median download speeds of just 16.01 Mbps. Rise’s users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) were able to achieve download speeds of 65.97 Mbps in Q2 2025. The company’s median upload speeds also increased from 4.05 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 18.38 Mbps Q2 2025. Rise saw a big jump in median upload speeds between Q2 2022 when users logged median upload speeds of 5.86 Mbps and Q3 2022 when users experienced median upload speeds of 13.68 Mbps.

Rise Broadband's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Rise Broadband's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Wisper Internet

Wisper Internet offers FWA in six midwestern states including Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Indiana. The company uses unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz, and a mix of unlicensed and licensed spectrum in the 2.5 GHz and 3.65 GHz bands. Like NextLink and Rise, the company also has deployed fiber in a few select areas.

Wisper offers a variety of rate plans including 25 Mbps for $70 per month; 50 Mbps for $75 per month; 100 Mbps for $80 per month; 200 Mbps for $110 per month and 400 Mbps for $140 per month.

Similar to the other WISPs, Wisper’s median download speeds increased over time but it increased dramatically from Q3 2023 to Q2 2025 when its median download speeds increased from 33.74 Mbps to 52.90 Mbps. Likewise, the download speeds for users in the 75th percentile also increased, climbing from 55.12 Mbps in Q3 2023 to 107.90 Mbps in Q2 2025. This jump in speeds was likely due to Wisper’s deployment of additional FWA gear from Tarana Wireless on 180 more towers in its footprint.

Wisper Internet's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Wisper Internet's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Unwired

Unwired Broadband provides FWA coverage in rural and underserved areas in central and northern California. The company said it has a network of more than 200 towers and a coverage area of about 17,000 square miles. Besides FWA, Unwired also provides some fiber service but It’s early in its deployment process.

Unwired uses a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum to deliver its FWA service, including the licensed 2.5 GHz band and the unlicensed 6 GHz band.

The company offers both business and residential FWA service and its pricing starts at $59.99 per month for 100 Mbps.

Unwired users experienced increases in download and upload speeds over time but between Q3 2024 and Q4 2024 the jump was more dramatic. Median download speeds jumped from 27.22 Mbps in Q3 to 44.25 Mbps in Q4. Similarly median upload speeds increased from 9.7 Mbps in Q3 2024 to 15.9 Mbps in Q4.

Unwired's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Unwired's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

WISPs’ performance is improving but competitive threats lurk

Although the WISPs we studied are improving their networks and delivering better performance for their customers, the broadband market is rapidly changing. In the past many WISPs, particularly those in rural areas, faced little or no competition. But that’s no longer the case.

As LEO satellite constellations such as Starlink become more powerful and more prevalent (Amazon’s Kuiper now has 153 satellites in orbit and is expected to launch late this year), WISPs will face growing competition from these companies.

A recent Ookla report on Starlink found that Starlink’s network saw its median download speeds nearly double from 53.95 Mbps in Q3 2022 to 104.71 Mbps in Q1 2025, making its median download speeds on par or better than seven of the eight WISPs we reviewed (Starry was the only exception). With Starlink residential price plans starting around $80 per month, the company’s introductory price plan is a bit more expensive than some introductory price plans from WISPs but Starlink is aggressively promoting its services and offering large discounts on its equipment to entice new customers.

To continue to play in the broadband space, WISPs need to try to secure more spectrum–licensed or unlicensed— to avoid network congestion and interference and also invest in network upgrades so their services remain competitive.

To find out more about Speedtest Intelligence® data and insights, visit our website.

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