Best Internet Providers in Irving, Texas

What is the best internet provider in Irving?

Frontier Fiber is the best internet service provider in Irving, with both the fastest and the cheapest plans in the city. Unfortunately, only around two in five residents currently have access to it. If you can't get Frontier, Spectrum offers good value virtually everywhere in the city, but prices increase significantly after two years which is pretty common among internet providers. If you're looking for affordable internet plans after two years, T-Mobile Home Internet is another good alternative; speeds aren't as fast as Frontier or Spectrum, but your price is locked in for as long as you stay a customer. 

Best internet in Irving, Texas

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Irving

• AT&T Fiber: AT&T Fiber was CNET’s pick for the best fiber internet provider nationwide, and it’s almost always our top pick when it’s available in a city. Unfortunately, it’s not widely available in Irving, with service more prevalent near Dallas and Grand Prairie. 
• Satellite internet: You can get satellite internet everywhere in Irving, but it’s only worth considering as a last resort. HughesNet and Viasat are the traditional satellite ISPs, but both come with stingy data caps, slower speeds and high monthly costs. Starlink is a newer satellite provider from SpaceX, and it has unlimited data and significantly faster speeds, but you’ll have to purchase the satellite dish up front for $599. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon uses its vast cellular network to offer fixed wireless internet in Irving. It’s less widely available than T-Mobile -- 44% of residents have access -- but it offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps at some addresses. Customers with an eligible Verizon Wireless plan can also save by bundling with Verizon 5G Home Internet.   

Cheap internet options in Irving

There are four internet plans in Irving that cost $50 or less per month. That’s less than neighboring Dallas (eight plans) and Fort Worth (five), but still relatively affordable for a city of Irving’s size.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Irving

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

Irving internet providers such as Spectrum may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including Frontier, T-Mobile and AT&T Fiber, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

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

How fast is Irving broadband?

Irving has no shortage of choices for fast internet. According to speed test data from Ookla, Irving residents receive 237/32Mbps speeds on average -- good for 23rd out of the 100 most populous cities in the country, and ahead of Arlington, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Plano and Dallas.

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 like video conferencing, streaming and online gaming all at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Irving

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every internet service provider 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. 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 the time of our pre-publication fact-check.

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 answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to 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 also take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, you can visit our How we test ISPs page.

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

There are a number of good options for internet in Irving. Frontier Fiber is the best internet provider overall, with both the fastest and cheapest plans available in the city. Unfortunately, it’s only available to 40% of households. If you can’t get Frontier, Spectrum is a good backup option that’s available almost everywhere in Irving, but prices increase significantly after two years. T-Mobile Home Internet guarantees that your price will stay the same as long as you stay a customer, but it’s best for smaller households that don’t need as much speed. 

Internet providers in Irving FAQs