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AT&T has been leading the way in how people connect since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone 140 years ago. The invention of the transistor some 50 years later, which has made this digital world we live in possible, further established and entrenched AT&T's legacy of innovation, paving the way for technologies ranging from solar cell to machine learning to communications satellites. AT&T has reinvented itself over and over again so many times that it has become an integral piece of its company culture.
AT&T's recent addition of WarnerMedia to its culture of innovation continues this trend by joining forces with a company that is no stranger to innovation itself. In fact, AT&T and Warner Bros. joined forces a century ago to create the world's first motion picture with sound, “The Jazz Singer.” WarnerMedia and its families have played a huge role in creating the kind of content we consume today. From launching the world's first premium network, HBO, which has been creating award-winning content since the early 1970s, to creating CNN, the first 24-hours nothing-but-news network, in 1980, WarnerMedia continues to be a global powerhouse in the world of entertainment.
Not only does AT&T boast America's fastest and most reliable wireless network, but it also offers consumers nationwide some of the lowest prices for gigabit internet speeds in the United States. AT&T's winning combination of premium entertainment and high speed networks enable it to connect people to who and what they love in ways that have never been possible. AT&T's mission is to deliver the best entertainment over the best network with the most well tailored advertising.
AT&T Fiber network is one of the largest fiber networks in the country and delivers the fastest speeds, up to 1,000 Mbps - or 1 Gbps - that will provide ample speed to support all of your devices simultaneously and then some. AT&T provides a brand new Internet gateway that boasts the latest and greatest WiFi technology and can support wireless speeds of up to 750 Mbps. To put this speed into perspective, you can download an entire movie in about half a minute, 25 songs in a second, and a TV show in less than three seconds. Pair AT&T's internet with voice and U-verse TV for a truly seamless, unmatched experience for an unbelievable price.
Once installed, you can manage your blazing fast gigabit internet with the AT&T Smart Home Manager App. This handy app allows you to personalize and rename your wireless network name and password, set up parental controls so that you can monitor and control access to your network, perform speed tests to ensure your network is performing optimally, view who is connected at any given time, and much more.
If not Internet 1000, AT&T offers different speeds at a lower price point so you're never paying for something that you don't need. Internet 300 still provides super fast upload and download speeds and will still allow you to connect up to 13 devices simultaneously. Internet 100 allows for up to 9 devices to stream high definition content simultaneously or up to 2 devices to stream 4K content at the same time. Internet 100 is the perfect plan for the user who binges on social media and likes to do some streaming as well. Whatever your needs and desires, AT&T has the perfect plan to fit your needs. Call today to get a quote from one of our WiFi experts!
Spectrum was first introduced to the world after its parent company, Charter, merged with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks to bring all three companies under the same roof and to increase the level of service more than any one of the individual companies could have provided on their own. Since then, Spectrum has expanded into forty-four states offering coverage to over 100 million Americans. Spectrum continues to expand their coverage areas, attracting more and customers with its easy to understand tiered pricing and historically fast, reliable internet connections.
Charter, Spectrum’s parent company, was founded in 1980 primarily offering home telephone service and television. They eventually entered into the internet market through a strategic partnership with EarthLink, since acquiring and merging with multiple companies over its life cycle. The company we now know as Charter Spectrum came to fruition in 2016 when it merged with Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable, making it the third-largest cable television provider in the nation just behind AT&T and Comcast. It was after this merger that Charter brought all services covered by the three formerly-independent companies under the brand name “Spectrum.” As a condition of this merger, Charter Spectrum agreed to expand its lines to generally underserved areas of New York State with 145,000 new residences to receive service by 2021. Since the merger, Charter has entered into further strategic partnerships with companies like Comcast and Verizon to expand the suite of services it offers as well as expanding its general service area.
Spectrum uses a hybrid fiber-coaxial network to supply its customers with the internet. This was an easy transition for the company to make once they started offering internet, leveraging the massive network they inherited from Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, allowing them to hit the ground running once they entered the market as an internet service provider. Hybrid fiber-coaxial lines are the most common way for most companies to offer internet service due to their relative low cost, especially when compared to fiber. Reaching higher speeds than DSL, a hybrid fiber-coaxial line is able to provide more than fast enough internet for most consumers though still being slower than fiber. With that being said, hybrid fiber-coaxial lines do have their drawbacks. The biggest is shared bandwidth. Total bandwidth is shared among all users on those lines so when there is heavy usage, the end-user is going to receive reduced speeds. However, this usually only happens a portion of the day and even when congested, most receive fast enough speeds to be able to handle anything they’d be looking to do.
Spectrum offers multiple services beyond the internet including cable television and home phone service. They offer multiple different plans, bundles, and prices, allowing for easy navigation and customization for their customers. This is especially important as every household has different needs based on their number of active devices, active users, and budget. Now, this is all based on availability, but generally, there are multiple different options in every market Spectrum serves. Spectrum has created a service that can meet the demands of any budget and any digital lifestyle.
EarthLink has had exponential growth since their start in 1994. Stemming from a need for a simpler way to get residential internet service, the ISP started by providing dial up service across the United States. EarthLink internet services have since become some of the best in class, offering quality DSL and high speed fiber optic internet plans that can produce speeds up to 1 Gbps (or 1000 Mbps). With a constantly growing base of satisfied customers, EarthLink has expanding their services to provide cloud backup services, security software and anti-virus scans, and parental control and child protection tools.
EarthLink provides some of the most affordable internet plans with up to 1 Gbps speeds. Ranging from dial up to fiber optics, gives customers the choice to pick a plan that is best suited to their lives. All of their plans come with unlimited data, unlike some competitor ISP companies that limit data plans to as little as 10GB per month. Customers are given the opportunity to enjoy everything the Internet has to offer with high speeds and no data restrictions. Earthlink offers the flagship plan, HyperLinkTM, with a variety of speeds like 18Mpbs, 25Mbps, 50Mbps, 100Mbps, and 1000Mbps.
EarthLink protective services include EarthLink Guardian, EarthLink Protect, and EarthLink Online Backup products. These compliment the internet packages and excellent customer service already provided by EarthLink. EarthLink’s services have received multiple customer service company of the year awards, best internet company of the year, and highest rated company awards many times, and often in consecutive years. This makes EarthLink a great choice for many people who need consistent high speed internet with protection and service above the average plan.
Over the decades that EarthLink has been growing in popularity because of its satisfactory high speed internet service for customers, it has also had opportunities to grow by acquiring and merging with other ISP companies. EarthLink now serves a majority of the USA, with millions of customers in the residential and commercial sectors. Professional installation and constantly improving internet packages will keep EarthLink growing and proving to be a leader in internet services for years to come.
HughesNet currently has the highest coverage area in the nation with all fifty states falling under its service area. One of the two major satellite providers in the nation, HughesNet has focused the core of its business on providing internet to underserved or un-served areas, often rural or small towns. Its recently increased speeds up to 25mbps with the launch of its new Gen 5 satellite, the “EchoStar XIX.” With ninety-eight percent of the country under HughesNet’s coverage area, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll be an option available to any consumer.
HughesNet uses geosynchronous satellites to provide its customers with broadband internet connections. Since HughesNet was initially founded, it’s launched multiple satellites with its latest launch occurring in 2017 with the “EchoStar XIX,” powering HughesNet’s Gen 5 service. This launch allowed the company to reach broadband levels, increasing speeds to 25 Mbps across the board. It also increased the available bandwidth that HughesNet offered its customers as well as simplifying their pricing structure to a tiered system that was based on available data caps. HughesNet does operate off of priority data caps though its internet can be considered unlimited. At no point does HughesNet charge overage prices or shut the internet off if a customer goes over their “priority data” limit, instead just having to deal with reduced speeds until their next billing cycle. If a customer does need more data before their next billing cycle rolls around, HughesNet has made data tokens available, increasing priority data and increasing available speeds in the process.
HughesNet is a great choice for rural customers as wired connections are often completely unavailable in America’s more remote locations. Satellite internet allows them to access the world wide web at broadband speeds allowing for almost any activity. It does have its drawbacks though. The biggest activities this can be seen in is online gaming and virtual private networks. This is in large part due to the latency, or ping, that satellite internet experiences. The time signals take to transmit from the customer’s dish to the satellite to the receiving and then back again can take anywhere from a half-second to a second. For most activities like browsing the internet or streaming video, this latency is almost entirely imperceivable. For gaming though, that often required split-second reaction times, it is unavoidable. VPNs, in particular, are affected, as well. When using a VPN, download speeds even when within the priority data limit can tank anywhere from fifty to seventy-five percent. This reduction in speeds is not guaranteed with some VPN users not having any issues whatsoever. With that being said, it is something to take into account when considering a satellite internet provider.
For many rural customers, satellite internet is going to be one of the only viable options open to them. That doesn’t make it a lesser product though. When choosing the right package for you, assess your needs, your internet usage, and your budget to choose the package that will leave you satisfied and meet all of your digital requirements.
Though having been around since 1986, ViaSat didn't launch its first internet plans until 2012. ViaSat is a satellite internet service provider with a general focus on serving areas that normally do not have access to a reliable internet connection. Covering 98% of the country and all 50 states, all that is needed to be able to connect is a clear line of sight to the southern sky, a modem, and a satellite dish to send and receive signals. This has helped many of those who would otherwise have to spend thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, to run a DSL, cable, or fiber line to their home.
ViaSat has continually upgraded its service. When the company first launched, its entire service survived off the back of one satellite, the ViaSat-1. Since then, they've acquired three additional satellites, either through additional launches or acquisitions from other companies to greatly expand its capabilities. The last of these to launch, the ViaSat-2, was said to increase the total bandwidth and network capacity available by 300 Gigabits per second as well as take ViaSat's service internationally. They have plans to increase this further. They've announced three more launches of their newest satellite, the ViaSat-3, that will increase the total bandwidth by a full terabit per second. The first of these is set to launch in 2020 with a second launch planned by 2022.
Offering free standard installation on all orders, ViaSat makes connecting to the internet easier than ever. ViaSat offers multiple different plans that feature different speeds and different levels of priority data. Priority data? I'm sure the question being asked is “Does ViaSat have a data cap?” The answer is a resounding no. Viasat offers unlimited data without charging overage fees or shutting your internet connection off. If one does go over their priority data, then at that point, customers just have to contend with network congestion much like any other internet service provider. If there is no congestion, then speed should be unaffected. This makes ViaSat a perfect option for activities like streaming, checking social media, or visiting a favorite site on the web.
ViaSat is perfect for almost any web-based application. Connecting your smartphone, sharing videos online, and watching your favorite streaming service are perfect fits for ViaSat's network. The only limitations ViaSat has are gaming and Virtual Private Networks(VPN). When it comes to gaming, there should be a half a second to full second lag time when playing online. If you're playing single-player games, this interruption is non-existent and will not interfere with any updates that a game may release after launch. A VPN is another matter. VPNs put a significant strain on any network and satellite networks doubly so. When using a VPN with ViaSat, speeds can be expected to drop anywhere from 50 to 75 percent. That doesn't mean ViaSat is an inferior service though. However, when looking to game or use in-home VPN, it's important to be aware of the technology's limitations so that you can plan accordingly and choose the best service that will fit your needs.
Mediacom is one of the largest cable internet providers in the nation. Founded in 1995, Mediacom uses a mix of coaxial cable and fiber to provide its customers with fast, reliable internet connections. With service in over twenty-two states, Mediacom is ever-expanding its coverage area with more states and more service areas being added. Already, it’s currently the fifth-largest provider in the nation with particularly high coverage through the Southeast and Midwest United States. In addition, Mediacom is currently in the process of upgrading and updating its current cable lines to fiber. This will allow the company to deliver an unprecedented level of speed and service.
Founded in 1995 by Rocco Commisso with the goal of providing high-quality TV, internet, and phone service to America’s smaller cities and towns. By focusing on underserved regions, Mediacom was able to carve out a unique niche for themselves and they have since grown to cover major metropolitan areas as well. In 2000, Mediacom held its initial public offering, infusing the company with a massive amount of capital allowing for the company’s rapid growth into other, more competitive markets. Mediacom continues to invest billions, recently completing a three-year, billion-dollar investment to increase its bandwidth specifically aimed at small to mid-sized companies to help them increase productivity and better compete with their larger competitors. By providing cutting-edge technology, Mediacom is helping to bridge the gap of options available to major cities and the smaller regions where finding fiber lines is more difficult.
Most of Mediacom’s connections are based on a coaxial cable line network to provide its customers with service. These cable lines were originally used to provide television service and can compete with speeds available through fiber. Cable’s biggest advantage when compared to similar technologies like DSL and fiber is cost. With much of the network already laid, Mediacom is able to pass those savings on to its customers. With that being said, Mediacom has begun to upgrade much of its current network to fiber to increase speeds, bandwidth, and to meet the ever-growing demand that fiber has seen in the last number of years. Fiber’s big advantages are two-fold. First is increased speeds with fiber easily able to reach into the gigabit range. Second is bandwidth. Under cable, bandwidth is shared with every household on that line which can lead to reduced speeds when there is heavy usage and the network is congested. Fiber does not suffer these limitations. Fiber can deliver streams of data simultaneously to multiple households without quality suffering.
Mediacom is going to be a great option for any household. With an array of products that can be chosen and bundled together, Mediacom is able to meet any household’s needs and budget. Whether you need just the internet or television and home phone service as well, Mediacom meets the consumer where they’re at. As Mediacom continues to upgrade its lines and expand its coverage area, more and more customers will find what the outstanding offers Mediacom can provide to any residential household.
Wide Open West, or more commonly known as WOW!, is one the largest internet providers in the nation. Founded in 1996, WOW! has expanded quickly out of the Denver market, where it started, and through a number of strategic acquisitions, now offers its services to nine different states and nearly 8 million people living within their coverage area. That coverage area is continuing to grow as more and more customers discover WOW!’s outstanding service. As of today, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee all have Wide Open West available at least partially with the company planning to expand further.
WOW! Currently uses a hybrid fiber-coaxial line to provide service to its customers. As the signal transmits, it primarily uses coaxial cable lines to the end-user while the signal is first sent through a fiber line. WOW! is in the process of upgrading those lines with the hope of being able to send the signal through fiber lines from end to end, thus allowing for a more reliable, high-speed connection. Even without fiber though, WOW! is still able to provide incredible speeds by using DOCSIS technology. One of the first adopters, WOW! uses these DOCSIS lines to transmit digital data. This allows WOW! to regularly provide speeds in the hundreds of megabits per second. This ultimately saves the user and the cable provider money by avoiding the often prohibitory costs that running fiber to a home can cost. This is just one example of WOW!’s innovative thinking and as technology continues to change, it’s clear to see that Wide Open West will continue to be on the cutting-edge providing the very best for its customers.
Still headquartered out of Denver, Colorado, Wide Open West started as a relatively small company in 1996. By the time that they had built their own network in 2001, they had only 200 subscribers. This number ballooned quickly as they purchased other internet service providers and increased the area and number of people they could reach. Over the next two decades, WOW! continued making strategic acquisitions leading to its current status and coverage area.
The company is not only dedicated to providing a fast and reliable internet connection but also great customer service. They have core values that they expect every member of their team to abide by, from the CEO to the technicians who install service. These core values are as follows: respect, integrity, a spirit of service, and accountability. It is because of these that Wide Open West has been able to maintain such a strong customer base and will be the basis for its continued success. The internet service industry often is plagued by poor reputation and even worse customer service so it’s nice to see a company that stands for the opposite of those things. Reputation is all when it comes to earning the trust of the public and there’s no reason to think that Wide Open West will do anything to risk its sterling renown.
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Cable Internet Coverage
62.06%
DSL Internet Coverage
54.58%
Fiber Internet Coverage
46.27%
Fixed Wireless Coverage
0.12%
Sitting on the Chattahoochee River, Columbus, Georgia is the third most populous city in the state. The city is a military town through and through with the largest employer in the city, Fort Benning, employing about one-fifth of the city's residents. Being a military town, personnel are constantly being transferred in and out and as the new ones come in, they'll need access to quick, reliable connections.
Columbus has access to seven different residential internet service providers which is more than most cities of its size. They are Spectrum, Xtream Powered by Mediacom, AT&T, WOW!, Public Service Communications, ViaSat, and HughesNet. These companies use a mix of cable, DSL, fiber, and satellite networks to provide their customers with service.
Among the wired providers in the area, AT&T has the largest coverage area in the area and uses a mix of fiber and DSL. Its fiber service is able to provide some of the fastest speeds in the area. Xtream Powered by Mediacom also has a sizable coverage area and can match AT&T's top speeds. In fact, Mediacom has the highest average speeds in the city. WOW! and Spectrum also provides wired service in Columbus with fast enough speeds to be able to handle anything you could throw at it.
If a wired connection isn't available to you, ViaSat and HughesNet are also available in the area. Satellite internet is available in about 98% of the country and only requires a clear line of sight to the southern sky to connect to their service.
Summary of Fastest Internet Providers in Columbus, GA
| Provider | Max Speed | Avg Speed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | | Xtream by Mediacom | 1 Gbps | 742 Mbps | |
| 2. | | WOW! | 1 Gbps | 584 Mbps | |
| 3. | | EarthLink | 1 Gbps | 374 Mbps | |
| 4. | | AT&T | 1 Gbps | 27 Mbps | |
| 5. | | Spectrum | 940 Mbps | 299 Mbps | |
| 6. | | ViaSat | 100 Mbps | 20 Mbps | |
| 7. | Public Service Communications | 30 Mbps | 23 Mbps | ||
| 8. | | HughesNet | 25 Mbps | 25 Mbps | |
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | |||||
Summary of All Internet Providers in Columbus, GA
| Provider | Type | Coverage | Max Speed | Avg Speed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | | HughesNet | 96.32% | 25 Mbps | 25 Mbps | ||
| 2. | | ViaSat | 96.32% | 100 Mbps | 20 Mbps | ||
| 3. | | WOW! | 95.70% | 1 Gbps | 584 Mbps | ||
| 4. | | AT&T | 89.90% | 1 Gbps | 27 Mbps | ||
| 5. | | EarthLink | 70.00% | 1 Gbps | 374 Mbps | ||
| 6. | | Xtream by Mediacom | 54.06% | 1 Gbps | 742 Mbps | ||
| 7. | | Spectrum | 41.40% | 940 Mbps | 299 Mbps | ||
| 8. | Public Service Communications | 1.31% | 30 Mbps | 23 Mbps | |||
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | |||||||
Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus, GA.
Which provider offers the best internet service in Columbus, GA?
AT&T is the best internet provider in Columbus, GA, with download speeds up to 1 Gbps and pricing starting at $39.99.
How many internet providers provide service in Columbus, GA?
There are currently 8 providers that offer internet service in Columbus, GA.
What providers offer internet service in Columbus, GA.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Columbus, GA?
AT&T is the cheapest internet provider in Columbus, GA, with pricing starting at $39.99.
What provider has the fastest speeds in Columbus, GA?
Xtream by Mediacom is the faster internet provider in Columbus, GA, with maximum speeds reaching 1 Gbps and average speeds of 742 Mbps.
Is fiber internet available in Columbus, GA?
Yes! Fiber internet covers 46% of Columbus, GA.
Summary of School Districts in Columbus, GA
| District | Grades | Max Speed | Avg Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattahoochee County for Fort Benning | 09 - 12 | 1 Gbps | 65 Mbps |
| Fort Benning Schools | KG - 08 | 1 Gbps | 77 Mbps |
| Harris County | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 130 Mbps |
| Muscogee County | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 282 Mbps |
| Muscogee County for Fort Benning | 09 - 12 | 1 Gbps | 102 Mbps |
| Talbot County | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 74 Mbps |
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | |||
Top 10 Neighborhoods in Columbus, GA
| Neighborhood | Max Speed | Avg Speed |
|---|---|---|
| East Carver Heights | 1 Gbps | 364 Mbps |
| Briarwood | 1 Gbps | 354 Mbps |
| East Wynnton Circle/Carver Heights | 1 Gbps | 335 Mbps |
| Brookstone | 1 Gbps | 322 Mbps |
| Averett Woods | 1 Gbps | 314 Mbps |
| Lindsay Creek Area/Boxwood | 1 Gbps | 312 Mbps |
| Wildwood Circle/Hill Crest | 1 Gbps | 309 Mbps |
| Woodcrest | 1 Gbps | 307 Mbps |
| Clubview Heights/Hilton Woods | 1 Gbps | 306 Mbps |
| Hilton Heights | 1 Gbps | 302 Mbps |
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | ||
Military Bases in Columbus, GA
| Name | Max Speed | Avg Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Ft Benning | 1 Gbps | 77 Mbps |
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | ||