Best Internet Providers in Boulder, Colorado | Global News Avenue

I grew up north of Boulder, Colorado, so I’m biased, but I believe it’s one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the United States. Some might brag about its excellent college football team, the Colorado Buffaloes, but you can also brag about its internet connection speeds relative to the rest of the state.

If you live in Boulder (or plan to move there) you have a variety of options, but the two most widely used internet service providers are unlimited and 21Vianet. CNET Names Boulder’s Best Overall Internet Service Provider: Xfinity Because of its breadth and wide range of plan options covering the entire city. Other options include CenturyLink, which is also widely available but only offers slower DSL plans, from Quantum fiber and 5G home internet Offerings come from T-Mobile (And to a lesser extent, Verizon).

The Best Internet in Boulder in 2024

The average download speed for Boulder residents is expected to be about 274 megabits per second, According to Ookla Speedtest data ——equivalent to coloradoStatewide median (271Mbps) and national median (263Mbps). (Ookla and CNET are owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.) Not bad.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Boulder

While we think Xfinity, Quantum Fiber, and T-Mobile are the best providers in the area, there are other ISP options in Boulder to consider.

• real-time wired network: This Colorado-based fixed wireless provider serves nearly 95% of the Boulder area. Plans range from 35Mbps ($25 per month) to 150Mbps ($120 per month). Equipment rental is included and no data caps or contracts are required.
• Rise Broadband: This fixed wireless provider serves approximately 15% of the Boulder area. There is a small area available north of Washington Village, but it’s mostly rural options outside of the city limits. You can get speeds up to 100Mbps and unlimited data.
• satellite internet: CNET recommends avoiding satellite internet in cities with cheaper and faster options. That is, if you live in a rural area without cable and fiber connections, Starlink, HughesNet and Viasat is a viable satellite provider in the Boulder area.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon uses its cellular network to provide fixed wireless home broadband. While it may offer higher maximum download speeds than T-Mobile (the 5G Home Plus plan has “typical download speeds of 300-1,000Mbps,” compared to T-Mobile’s 245Mbps maximum download speed), Boulder only has less than 37% of households have access to it.

Pricing information for Boulder home internet services

The average internet price in Boulder starts at just under $42 per month—lower than the national average but only a few bucks per month more than its larger brothers to the south. Denverpriced at $39.

Cheap Internet Options in Boulder

The cheapest internet plan in Boulder is Xfinity’s Connect plan, which has a maximum download speed of 150Mbps for $20 per month. There are a lot of caveats, though: The promotional price only lasts for one year and doesn’t include an optional $15 monthly equipment rental fee (which is waived if you have your own modem and router).

T-Mobile Home Internet starts at $50 per month, and drops to $35 per month if you bundle it with a qualifying phone plan like Go5G Plus and Magenta Max.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Boulder Broadband Speed

Almost all Boulder homes have access to broadband internet speeds of 250Mbps downstream and 25Mbps upload. As we mentioned before, Boulder residents have much higher median download speeds than the rest of the state.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

CNET How to choose the best internet provider in Boulder

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. different from the latest cell phone, laptop, router or kitchen toolsit is impractical to personally test every ISP in a specific city. So what is our approach? First, we leverage a proprietary database of pricing, availability, and speed information drawn from our own historical ISP data, partner data, and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission’s FCC.gov.

This guide utilizes an in-house AI 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 to identify and present our Selection of a given guideline. Check CNET’s AI policy Learn more about how our team uses (and doesn’t use) AI tools.

Since our database is not exhaustive, we head to the FCC website to check the primary data ourselves and make sure we account for every ISP offering service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we entered our local address on the provider website to find the specific options available to residents. We evaluate customer satisfaction with ISP services by looking at sources such as the US Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power. ISP plans and prices may change frequently; all information provided is accurate as of our pre-publication fact-checking.

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

1. Does the provider offer reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting value for money?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

While the answers to these questions are often layered and complex, we recommend the provider that comes closest to a “yes” on these three questions. To explore our processes in more depth, visit our How we test ISPs Page.

What’s the bottom line for Boulder internet providers?

Xfinity reaches nearly every address in the city and offers the widest selection of plans of any provider in the area. That’s why it’s rated by us as the best ISP in the city. However, there are other viable options for Boulder households, including fiber optic plans from Quantum Fiber and fixed wireless connections from T-Mobile Home Internet.

Internet Providers in Boulder: FAQs