Best Internet Providers in Mesa, Arizona

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What is the best internet provider in Mesa, Arizona?

The best internet provider in Mesa is Cox Communications, thanks to its range of speeds, competitive introductory pricing and wide availability. According to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission, Cox covers the largest area in the city at 82% as a non-business and non-satellite internet provider.

If you're looking for fast speeds, Quantum Fiber offers the fastest plans in the city, with speeds up to 8,000 megabits per second. Quantum Fiber is the fastest provider in the city, though those multi-gigabit speeds aren't as widely available as CenturyLink's much slower DSL services.

Most internet plans start at $50 a month, so there isn't exactly a "cheap" internet option in the city, unless you qualify for a low-income plan. If you bundle a 5G internet plan from T-Mobile with a mobile plan, you can trim your monthly bill down to $35 a month.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What other internet options are there in Mesa?

The three providers listed above are the best choices for internet in Mesa, but if none of them serves your address, you do have a few other options:

• Phoenix Internet: Available to around 40% of Mesa addresses, Phoenix Internet's fixed wireless plans start at $65 per month. Beyond that, details are sketchy: The website features some dated information (such as a list of “the best streaming services in 2020”) and the company hasn't yet responded to CNET's email requesting more specifics. 
• Satellite internet: While satellite internet is available at nearly every address in Mesa, it typically comes with long contracts, slow speeds, low data caps and high latency -- sufficient for very basic tasks but impractical for anyone who works from home or plays online games. Hughesnet and Viasat are longtime satellite providers; Starlink has higher equipment costs, but it offers faster speeds and lower latency. 
• Triad Wireless: Like Phoenix Internet, Triad is a fixed wireless provider in Mesa. Its website says that speeds go up to 1,000Mbps -- a high number for wireless -- but it doesn’t list specific plans or prices, and Triad hasn't yet responded to our request for more information. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon has begun leveraging its cell towers to provide home internet service in some locations. It’s less widely available in Mesa than T-Mobile's offering -- only 31% of households are eligible -- but it offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps in some locations. 

Cheap internet plans in Mesa

The average price for internet service in Mesa is approximately $50 per month. It's worth noting that if you’re a Verizon or T-Mobile cellphone customer, you may qualify for a considerable monthly discount. 

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Mesa

The best internet deals and top promotions in Mesa depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Medford internet providers, like Cox, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, like Quantum Fiber, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What's a good internet speed?

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

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

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

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Mesa

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication. 

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

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
2. Do customers get decent value for what they're paying? 
3. Are customers happy with their service? 

While the answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Mesa?

Internet in Mesa is a mixed bag. Some addresses will have several great options, while others will have only one. Fiber is only available to about 10% of households in Mesa, so online gamers and people who work from home may need to opt for a more expensive cable plan if they're looking for faster upload speeds. Cox's plans fit that bill -- it's available almost everywhere and its fastest plans provide enough speed for almost any home.

Internet providers in Mesa FAQs