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What is the best internet provider in Lubbock?
The best internet provider in Lubbock is AT&T Fiber. It has symmetrical upload and download speeds — ideal for online gaming or working from home — and you won’t have to worry about data caps, equipment fees or contracts. Optimum is the cheapest internet provider in Lubbock, with plans starting at just $40 per month. T-Mobile is another good option for smaller households. Everything is included in the $50 monthly price tag, and it’s locked in for as long as you stay a customer.
Best internet in Lubbock, Texas
AT&T Fiber
Best internet provider in Lubbock, Texas
Price range
$55 – $250 per month
Speed range
300 – 5,000Mbps
Connection
Fiber
Key Info
Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included
Fiber internet is considered the best type of connection you can get, and AT&T Fiber was named the best fiber internet provider in CNET’s analysis of the best internet providers across the country. AT&T’s 100% fiber-optic service delivers symmetrical upload and download speeds — perfect for houses with folks who work from home or game online. Customers generally love their service, too: AT&T Fiber received the highest score of any ISP in the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, and it earned the top spot in Lubbock’s region in J.D. Power’s survey.
Availability: AT&T is available to 74% of Lubbock households, but not all those have access to AT&T Fiber. AT&T also offers slower DSL plans in the area. If you put in your address and see only one plan available, it’s DSL — and you should move on to another option.
Plans and pricing: There are five AT&T Fiber plans in Lubbock, ranging from $55 a month for 300/300Mbps speeds to $250 for 5,000/5,000Mbps.
Fees and service details: Equipment is included with every AT&T Fiber plan, and there are no data caps or contracts required. You can also save an extra $20 each month when you bundle with an eligible AT&T Wireless plan.
Read our AT&T internet review.
Optimum
Cheapest internet in Lubbock, Texas
Price range
$40 – $80 per month
Speed range
300 – 940Mbps
Connection
Cable, fiber
Key Info
Unlimited data, no contracts
Optimum’s cable internet is widely available in Lubbock, and the company offers the cheapest starting prices of any provider in the area. Its upload speeds are much lower than AT&T Fiber’s, but they’re still plenty for most households.
That said, customers generally aren’t fans of Optimum. It received the lowest score of any internet provider from both the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power’s survey of Lubbock’s region. Reddit users in Lubbock note poor customer service, as well as outages due to Optimum’s equipment. It’s worth considering buying your own modem and router if you decide to go with Optimum.
Availability: Optimum is available to 91% of Lubbock households.
Plans and pricing: There are three Optimum internet plans available in Lubbock: 300/20Mbps for $40 per month, 500/20Mbps for $50 and 940/35Mbps for $70.
Fees and service details: There are no added fees for equipment, no data caps and no contracts required.
Read our Optimum Internet review.
T-Mobile Home Internet
Best fixed wireless internet in Lubbock, Texas
Price range
$50 per month ($30 for eligible mobile customers)
Speed range
72 – 245Mbps
Connection
Fixed wireless
Key Info
Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees
T-Mobile’s fixed wireless internet is a good choice for smaller households looking for simple, hassle-free internet. It has no equipment fees, data caps or contracts, and the $50 monthly bill is locked in for as long as you stay a customer. T-Mobile also has the highest approval rating of any nonfiber provider in the country, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Its speeds aren’t as fast as AT&T’s or Optimum’s, but they’re still enough for most households.
Availability: 77% of Lubbock residents can access T-Mobile Home Internet.
Plans and pricing: T-Mobile Home Internet offers one plan, for $50 a month. It provides download speeds up to 245Mbps and upload speeds up to 31Mbps.
Fees and service details: There are no equipment fees, data caps or contracts with T-Mobile, and customers can try the service out on a 15-day “worry-free” trial.
Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.
Lubbock internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Fiber | Fiber | $55-$80 | 300-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Optimum | Cable | $40-$70 | 300-940Mbps | None | None | None | 6.2 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | $55-$75 | 25-100Mbps | None | None | None | 6.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers) | 50-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
| Vexus Fiber | Fiber | $50-$80 | 150-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | N/A |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Other available internet providers in Lubbock
- Rise Broadband: Available to 94% of Lubbock households, Rise Broadband is a fixed wireless internet provider with plans starting at $55 per month for 25Mbps speeds. That’s on the expensive side for internet providers in Lubbock; I’d only recommend Rise over satellite internet providers in the area.
- Satellite internet: No matter where you live, you can always get satellite internet — it’ll just come with some headaches. HughesNet and Viasat both come with low data caps, slower speeds and higher prices. Starlink is a faster option, from SpaceX, but you’ll have to purchase the satellite dish for $599 upfront to set up service.
- Vexus Fiber: If Vexus Fiber was more widely available, it would probably be one of our top picks for internet in Lubbock. As it stands, only 31% of residents can get it, but it’s absolutely worth considering if your address is eligible. Vexus offers symmetrical speeds up to 1,000Mbps, along with unlimited data, and equipment is included in the monthly price.
Cheap internet options in Lubbock
There are five internet plans in Lubbock that cost $50 or less. That’s comparable to other Texas cities like Amarillo (five plans), Arlington (five) and Dallas (eight). Low-income households can also take advantage of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides a $30 monthly subsidy for home internet.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Lubbock?
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum 300 | $40 | 300Mbps | None |
| Optimum 500 | $50 | 500Mbps | None |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | $50 ($30 with eligible mobile plans) | 245Mbps | None |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | $50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 300Mbps | None |
| Vexus Fiber | $50 | 150Mbps | None |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Lubbock
The best internet deals and the top promotions in Lubbock depend on what discounts are available during that time period. Most deals are short lived, but we check frequently for the latest offers.
Lubbock internet providers such as Optimum may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, however, including AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile and Vexus Fiber, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
How fast is Lubbock broadband?
According to Ookla speed test data, Lubbock residents receive median internet speeds of 228/42Mbps — good for 38th out of the 100 most populous cities in the US. That’s behind Austin, Irving and Fort Worth, but ahead of Plano, Laredo and Houston. Lubbock also has faster speeds than Texas as a whole, which gets median speeds of 209/28Mbps.
Fastest internet plans in Lubbock
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T 5 GIG | $250 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| AT&T 2 GIG | $150 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| AT&T 1 GIG | $80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet | $70 ($45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | 1,000Mbps | 75Mbps | None | Fixed wireless |
| Vexus Fiber | $80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Optimum | $70 | 940Mbps | 35Mbps | None | Cable |
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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 videoconferencing, 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 videoconferencing.
- 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 videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming all at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Lubbock
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 isn’t 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 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?
Though 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 Lubbock?
No matter where you live in Lubbock, you should have at least one good option for home internet. AT&T Fiber is an easy pick for the top spot, with symmetrical upload and download speeds, straightforward pricing and no data caps or equipment fees. Optimum offers the cheapest internet in the area, but Lubbock residents have noted issues with outages and poor customer service. T-Mobile Home Internet has some of the happiest customers of any ISP, but speeds might not be fast enough for bigger households.
Internet providers in Lubbock FAQ
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