Best Internet Providers in Mesa, Arizona
Our Experts
High-speed fiber internet service is on its way to Mesa -- but it isn't widely available just yet. Until then, most residents have a choice between Cox and a slew of slower wireless providers.
Last year, AT&T Fiber announced it was coming to Mesa in 2023, but it’s still yet to go live. Though Google Fiber started delivering internet service to Mesa in late March, it isn't yet widely available. Along with CenturyLink’s fiber service, that means Mesa will soon be home to the three highest rated internet providers in the American Customer Satisfaction Index's annual survey. For now, though, about 10% of Mesa households are wired up for fiber.
Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Mesa across a variety of categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers' terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.
Our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data is variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider's website.
Note that the prices, speeds and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider's pricing and speeds across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Mesa. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month -- a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might be available as well, for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a cellphone plan.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet providers in Mesa
There are three main internet providers in Mesa worth considering: Cox, CenturyLink Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet. We've also included an overview of some other internet providers serving the area, though most of them don't measure up, or they come with significant drawbacks.
Cox
Best internet provider in Mesa, AZ
Our take - For most Mesa residents, Cox’s cable internet provides the best combination of speed and price. It’s widely available in the area, and its download speeds go all the way up to 2,000 megabits per second -- enough bandwidth to stream Netflix in HD on 400 TVs simultaneously. The major downside is common to all cable internet providers: Its upload speeds are much, much slower -- somewhere between 5 and 100Mbps, depending on the plan. That could be limiting for households with multiple people videoconferencing or gaming online, which requires fast download and upload speeds.
Quantum Fiber
Best fiber internet in Mesa, AZ
Our take - CenturyLink's Quantum Fiber service offers coverage in some parts of Mesa. One of the major advantages of fiber internet is symmetrical download and upload speeds. However, CenturyLink’s DSL service is more widely available than its fiber service in Mesa, and we would recommend it only as a last resort. If you put in your address into CenturyLink’s website and see a plan offering speeds up to 100Mbps, that's a DSL plan, and we think you'd be better off with Cox or T-Mobile.
T-Mobile Home Internet
Best wired internet alternative in Mesa, AZ
Our take - T-Mobile Home Internet, which uses cellular towers to provide up to 245Mbps download speeds, received the highest score of any nonfiber provider in the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index’s survey. If you aren't eligible for fiber and don't want to do business with Cox, this is your best bet.
Top Mesa internet providers
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CenturyLink Read full review | DSL | $50 | 5-100Mbps | $15 (optional) | None | None | 6.7 |
| CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber | Fiber | $30-$70 | 200-940Mbps | $15 (optional); included for free with 940Mbps plan | None | None | 6.7 |
|
Cox Read full review | Cable | $50-$100 | 100-2,000Mbps | None | 1.25TB (unlimited for first five years) | None | 6.2 |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 (50% off with eligible phone plan) | 85-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
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 $50 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 27% of households are eligible -- but it offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps in some locations.
Pricing info on Mesa home internet service
The average price for internet service in Mesa is approximately $45 per month. CenturyLink’s 200Mbps fiber plan starts at just $30, but most plans start at around $50 per month. Worth noting: If you’re a Verizon or T-Mobile cellphone customer, you may qualify for a considerable monthly discount.
Cheapest internet plans in Mesa
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber | $30 | 200Mbps | $15 (optional) | None |
|
Cox Read full review | $50 | 250Mbps | None | None |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) | 245Mbps | None | None |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | $50 ($25 with eligible mobile plans) | 300Mbps | None | None |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Mesa broadband speeds
Mesa residents have their choice of three different internet providers that offer "gig" speeds, defined as service that starts at 940Mbps: Cox, Verizon 5G Home and CenturyLink. CenturyLink is currently the only provider in the area that offers symmetrical upload and download speeds -- a significant benefit if you're looking for a connection that can support high-quality videoconferencing or online gaming on multiple devices simultaneously.
Fastest internet plans in Mesa
| Provider | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Starting price | Data cap | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cox 2 Gig Read full review | 2,000Mbps | 100Mbps | $100 | 1.25TB (unlimited for first five years) | None |
|
Cox 1 Gig Read full review | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | $65 | 1.25TB (unlimited for first five years) | None |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | 1,000Mbps | 75Mbps | $70 ($35 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | None | None |
| CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber | 940Mbps | 940Mbps | $70 | None | None |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
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.
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.
This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.
Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of our prepublication fact-check.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they're paying?
- Are customers happy with their service?
While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Mesa FAQs
What's the best internet service provider in Mesa?
For most people, Cox is the best internet service provider in Mesa, offering both the fastest speed in the area (at 2,000Mbps) as well as a reasonably priced and highly available cable connection. CenturyLink’s fiber internet features the lowest starting price in the area: $30 per month for up to 200Mbps download and upload speeds.
Is fiber internet available in Mesa?
Yes, fiber internet is available in Mesa. CenturyLink, now called Quantum Fiber, offers a fast connection with symmetrical speeds up to 940Mbps, unlimited data and free installation. It's not very widely available, however, and is accessible primarily on the east side of the city.
What’s the cheapest internet provider in Mesa?
CenturyLink has the cheapest internet plan in Mesa: 200Mbps for $30 per month. After that, it's Cox, T-Mobile and Verizon in a tie, with plans starting at $50 per month. If you have one of the eligible T-Mobile cellphone plans, however, you may be able to take advantage of a discount to cut that down to $30 monthly. Eligible Verizon wireless customers may also use a discount to reduce their monthly bill to $25.
Which internet provider in Mesa offers the fastest plan?
Cox offers the fastest plan in Mesa with download speeds up to 2,000Mbps and upload speeds up to 100Mbps. For symmetrical speeds, CenturyLink goes up to 940Mbps download and upload.
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