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Starting as Bell Atlantic, Verizon Fios launched in 2004 offering one of the first true fiber services for residential customers. Beginning testing in Keller, TX, they quickly expanded out into other markets and cities after the product was a clear success. Since then, they’ve become the largest fiber-optic internet service provider in the nation. Offering more than just fiber, they also offer DSL and wireless internet service through 3G and 4G LTE radio towers to 90% of the US population. This makes Verizon Fios available to areas that normally wouldn’t have access to the internet due to a lack of grounded lines running to their residence.
When Bell Atlantic started, it provided home telephone service to the Atlantic Northeast. After it merged with GTE in 2000, they changed their name to Verizon and quickly became the largest local telephone company in the country, managing over 63 million telephone lines in almost every state. In 2002, Verizon began offering limited internet service again expanding its internet offerings in 2004 with the launch of Verizon Fios. Through a number of acquisitions and mergers, Verizon continued to increase their coverage until ultimately settling into its position today as the nation’s most extensive network of fiber-optic lines. This growth is expected to continue as Verizon Fios keeps installing new fiber-optic lines as well as maintaining its current DSL and wireless coverage.
Currently, their focus is on expanding their fiber lines as demand increases, allowing customers to reach speeds that were once unattainable. Currently, its service can reach into the 200Mbps to 1000Mbps range. This allows those who use Verizon’s services to reach and surf the internet at near-instantaneous speeds. Even more impressive, Verizon Fios upgraded its service in 2014 to allow for synchronous connections meaning that your upload speeds are just as fast as your download speeds. To put it in simpler terms, if you’re receiving download speeds of 1000 Mbps through Verizon Fios, you’ll also have access to upload speeds of 1000 Mbps. This is great for those who not only stream video to sites like Twitch, but also those who work from home and are required to consistently and regularly upload large files. Verizon Fios is available in nine states, as well as the nation’s capital, and is capable of reaching over 30 million consumers.
Verizon Fios has primarily focused its fiber lines on urban and suburban populations with high density, such as cities like New York and Philadelphia. This is what allows them to offer fiber to so many customers. Its service can be found in most of the country though, leveraging their extensive mobile network to create mobile hotspots. This serves two types of customers. The first is users that need a reliable internet connection on the go, either for work or pleasure. The second is those users who cannot access a fiber, cable, or DSL connection, but still want to access everything the internet has to offer. Regardless of which group you fall into, Verizon Fios is one of the most popular and secure internet connections in the country.
The largest cable and internet provider in the nation, Xfinity holds that title for good reason. Currently found in 40 states and serving over 100 million Americans, Xfinity has cemented itself as a company that can provide fast, reliable connections. First offering internet service in 1996, Xfinity has kept up with the times, constantly updating and upgrading their lines as more and more households are looking to connect to their favorite sites, streaming services, and gaming communities.
When first connecting to the Xfinity network, customers are going to have multiple options to choose from. Firstly, Xfinity does not necessarily lock a prospective customer in a contract. The company offers both contract and non-contract options depending on their needs. With multiple plans available, from basic to lightning-fast speeds, there is an option for every household, every need, and every budget. Each of these is priced differently based on whether or not a contract is opted out of, the type of internet connection, internet speeds, and whether or not the customer decides to bundle the internet with additional Xfinity services.
Xfinity has strived and committed to evolving with the latest technologies. Operating off of a Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial Network, they are able to deliver some of the fastest speeds in the nation. They’ve leveraged their ubiquity to create one of the largest WiFi networks in the nation. For Xfinity subscribers within the “Performance” tier or higher, as long an Xfinity modem and router are within range, they are able to connect almost anywhere. This makes using the internet on the go easier than ever. In addition, Xfinity has recently upgraded its service to meet the increasing demand for smart home integration. Revealing their Xfi experience in 2017, users are now able to connect their smart home devices with Xfinity TV and the Xfinity app to take control of their homes wherever they may go.
Xfinity uses cable lines to provide their customers with internet service. Originally a cable TV provider, Xfinity first used its already considerable network to provide internet to its customers in 1996. At first, they partnered with other companies to provide internet service while they learned the unique challenges that offering the internet posed. By 2002 though, it had moved its nearly one million internet subscribers to their inhouse network and has rapidly grown since then. Today, over 26 million households are receiving Xfinity internet, and that number is only going to continue to grow.
Xfinity has made internet access available to many that would normally not be able to connect. Through their Internet Essentials, Xfinity offers low-cost options to those who qualify for reduced cost or free school lunches. This covers about 2.6 million households nationwide with over 200,000 households taking advantage of the program. This is an important feature as it provides families who would not normally have access to the wider world online. The Internet is no longer a luxury, and Xfinity has done its part to help every American have access to mobile banking, online learning, and social media.
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.
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.
RCN offers high-speed broadband cable service to over four million people with a focus on major metropolitan areas like New York, Boston, and the Washington D.C.-Baltimore areas. Currently in seven states, RCN’s focus on cable over other technologies like fiber and DSL due to cable’s high bandwidths. RCN continues to grow its network and if available, is an outstanding choice for residential consumers to connect their homes to the internet. With multiple different plans, all at different speeds and prices, there’s sure to be an option for any household.
RCN was created by founders Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc and developer David McCourt. RCN first focused on telephone and cable television services while still offering internet connections. Through a series of acquisitions and splits, RCN increased its capability to deliver internet through their already existing cable lines and as demand for a reliable internet connection increased, RCN’s focus shifted more and more to providing internet. In 2017, RCN was able to merge with Grande Communications and Wave Broadband to increase its coverage area and the level of service and speeds than it was previously able to provide. This merger took RCN from a mid-sized company to one of the largest broadband providers in the nation.
RCN’s infrastructure is based on coaxial cables, much of which already existed before internet service became the focus and much more having been added in subsequent years. They have since also started using a hybrid fiber-coaxial network to better manage the high levels of bandwidth that the company deals in. RCN was able to do this by leveraging existing DOCSIS technology to transmit data over radio waves and copper. This is often compared to DSL with the similarity lying in both technologies using copper telephone cables. Where it differs from DSL however is in the amount of bandwidth that is able to be transmitted. Cable lines are able to handle a much higher level of bandwidth making speeds like 1000 Mbps possible. Matter of fact, RCN does not offer speeds lower than 250 Mbps making.it an ideal choice for even the largest families and the most modern of users.
RCN is currently available in the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, a very limited area in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Where it’s available is dependent on where they have laid those coaxial cable lines. Because of this, they have placed a large focus on heavily-populated urban and suburban areas where they can be sure that they’ll receive a significant return on investment. Laying those lines can cost in the millions, if not billions, of dollars but even still, RCN is constantly looking to increase its coverage area. It has been investing in areas not only where they already offer service, to improve reliability and speeds, but also into new markets to compete with some of the larger internet service providers. RCN is a great choice for any residential consumer capable of handling the highest resolutions when streaming and with low enough lag to appease the most competitive of gamers.
Best Provider By Need
Best Overall
Fastest Download
Best For Gaming
Streaming Video
Internet Provider Availability Map
DSL Internet Coverage
80.60%
Cable Internet Coverage
74.41%
Fixed Wireless Coverage
71.87%
Fiber Internet Coverage
12.64%
Summary of Fastest Internet Providers in Somerville, MA
Summary of All Internet Providers in Somerville, MA
| Provider | Type | Coverage | Max Speed | Avg Speed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | | ViaSat | 100.00% | 100 Mbps | 20 Mbps | ||
| 2. | | Xfinity | 99.60% | 2 Gbps | 932 Mbps | ||
| 3. | | Verizon | 99.50% | 150 Mbps | 22 Mbps | ||
| 4. | | HughesNet | 85.77% | 25 Mbps | 25 Mbps | ||
| 5. | | RCN | 73.93% | 1 Gbps | 604 Mbps | ||
| 6. | netBlazr | 73.61% | 300 Mbps | 51 Mbps | |||
| 7. | | EarthLink | 70.00% | 1 Gbps | 374 Mbps | ||
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | |||||||
Frequently Asked Questions about Somerville, MA.
Which provider offers the best internet service in Somerville, MA?
Verizon is the best internet provider in Somerville, MA, with download speeds up to 150 Mbps and pricing starting at $69.00.
How many internet providers provide service in Somerville, MA?
There are currently 7 providers that offer internet service in Somerville, MA.
What providers offer internet service in Somerville, MA.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Somerville, MA?
Xfinity is the cheapest internet provider in Somerville, MA, with pricing starting at $29.99.
What provider has the fastest speeds in Somerville, MA?
Xfinity is the faster internet provider in Somerville, MA, with maximum speeds reaching 2 Gbps and average speeds of 932 Mbps.
Is fiber internet available in Somerville, MA?
Yes! Fiber internet covers 13% of Somerville, MA.
Summary of School Districts in Somerville, MA
| District | Grades | Max Speed | Avg Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 398 Mbps |
| Boston | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 225 Mbps |
| Cambridge | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 162 Mbps |
| Everett | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 252 Mbps |
| Medford | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 215 Mbps |
| Somerville | PK - 12 | 1 Gbps | 258 Mbps |
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | |||
Top 10 Neighborhoods in Somerville, MA
| Neighborhood | Max Speed | Avg Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Teele Square | 1 Gbps | 298 Mbps |
| Central Hill | 1 Gbps | 293 Mbps |
| Davis Square | 1 Gbps | 289 Mbps |
| Spring Hill | 1 Gbps | 284 Mbps |
| Ball Square | 1 Gbps | 279 Mbps |
| Magoun Square | 1 Gbps | 277 Mbps |
| Union Square | 1 Gbps | 275 Mbps |
| Porter Square | 1 Gbps | 270 Mbps |
| Winter Hill | 1 Gbps | 260 Mbps |
| East Somerville | 1 Gbps | 246 Mbps |
| Data provided by various data sources including the FCC. For more information please view our sources page. | ||
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