Best Internet Providers in Abilene, Texas

If you live in Abilene, Texas, and are looking for the best Internet provider, consider CNET’s top picks for multiple homes: The best. The Federal Communications Commission reports that Optimum uses more than 86% of addresses in the area, which means that this provider’s low prices and fast speeds are available to many people. CNET also recommends Vexus Fiber and Rise Broadband for residential Internet if Optimum doesn’t provide your address, or if you want a fiber or wireless connection.

Vexus Fiber is Abilene’s most budget-friendly ISP, with a basic plan for $30 per month and speeds up to 150Mbps. Optimum is another strong contender, starting at $40 per month for up to 300Mbps, making it an even better value. And if you want speed, the fastest internet available in this west Texas city is 5 gigabit, provided by AT&T Fiber for $255 monthly.

The best internet in Abilene in 2024

Source: CNET analysis of supplier data.

Source: CNET analysis of supplier data.

How to find online deals and promotions in Abilene

The best online deals and top promotions in Abilene depend on what discounts are available at the time. Most deals are temporary, but we often check for the latest offers.

Abilene Internet providers, such as Optimum, Vexus Fiber, Nextlink and Rise Broadband, may offer low introductory rates or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, like AT&T, use flat rates throughout the year.

For the most comprehensive list of promos, check out our guide to the best online deals.

Source: CNET analysis of supplier data.

What is the best internet speed?

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

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

• 0 to 5Mbps lets you handle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you high quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should provide a single user with enough bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telephony, video streaming and Internet gaming.
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as videoconferencing, 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 picked the best internet providers in Abilene

Internet service providers are many and varied. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen appliance, it is not possible to manually check every ISP in a particular city. What is our approach? We start by researching pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our historical ISP data, provider sites and map information on FCC.gov.

That’s not all: We go to the FCC website to check our data and make sure we consider every ISP that provides service in the area. We also include local addresses on provider websites to provide residents with specific options. We look to sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to assess 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 location information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting a decent value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to saying “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fees, although we also take into account factors such as price increases, equipment costs and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and also consider real-world speed data from sources such as Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit the How We Test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Abilene FAQ