What is the best internet provider in Lakeland?
Spectrum is the best internet service provider for most households in Lakeland, Florida. With wide coverage, reasonable prices and simple service details, Spectrum is a great choice for home internet wherever you’re located.
However, if Spectrum isn’t an option at your address, CNET also recommends Rapid Systems and Frontier Fiber for broadband. Select households may also be serviceable for T-Mobile Home Internet, which costs $60 monthly for download speeds up to 245 megabits per second.
If you’re hunting for the lowest prices or fastest speeds in Lakeland, we’ve also found those picks to help make your decision easier. Although Mediacom offers the cheapest plan in the area ($35 per month for 100Mbps), Frontier Fiber’s 500Mbps plan for $45 is more widely available. Frontier Fiber takes the gold with its 5-gigabit service for the speediest plan, costing $155 monthly.
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Lakeland across several 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.
Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, 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.
Also, the prices, speed 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 speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, the text is specific to what’s available in Lakeland. 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. Discounts and promotions might also be available for signing a term contract or bundling multiple services.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet in Lakeland, Florida, in 2024
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$30- $90 per month
Our take – Spectrum’s wide availability in Lakeland beats out other providers — over 92% of Lakeland addresses are serviceable for Spectrum, according to FCC data. But coverage isn’t the only factor that makes Spectrum a top pick. This cable ISP also offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps, no data caps, no yearly commitments and a free modem with all plans.
100 – 1,000 Mbps
$30- $90 per month
Fixed wireless
10 – 250 Mbps
Our take – Although this fixed wireless ISP is on the pricier side, Rapid Systems might be the right fit for you if Spectrum isn’t available or if you live in rural Lakeland. Prices start at $79 per month for 100Mbps, but Rapid Systems offers the second-largest coverage in the area, meaning it’s a solid alternative for residential internet.
Fixed wireless
10 – 250 Mbps
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per month
Our take – Frontier Fiber is Lakeland’s largest fiber provider, offering symmetrical speeds, unlimited data and equipment for no extra charge. Customers can choose between four plans: 500Mbps for $45, 1,000Mbps for $60, 2,000Mbps for $100 and 5,000Mbps for $155. Just make sure you’re not getting stuck with Frontier’s DSL network, which comes with much slower speeds.
500 – 5,000 Mbps
$50 – $155 per month
Lakeland internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Communications | DSL, Fiber | $45-$155 | 500-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 6.3 |
| Mediacom | Cable | $35-$70 | 100-1,000Mbps | $14 modem | 350-3,000GB | None | 6.4 |
| Rapid Systems | Fixed wireless | $79-$99 | 10-25Mbps | None | None | None | N/A |
| Spectrum | Cable | $50-$80 | 300-1,000Mbps | Free modem; $5 router (optional) | None | None | 7.2 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $60 ($40 for eligible Go5G Plus and Magenta Max mobile customers) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans) | 50-1,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Lakeland?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Lakeland
The best internet deals and top promotions in Lakeland depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Lakeland internet providers, such as Spectrum and Mediacom, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, such as Frontier and Verizon, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
Photo by Bo Shen/Getty Images
Fastest internet plans in Lakeland
| Provider | Starting monthly price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Fiber 5 Gig | $155 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Frontier Fiber 2 Gig | $100 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Frontier Fiber 1 Gig | $60 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| Mediacom 1 Gig | $55 | 1,000Mbps | 50Mbps | 3,000GB | Cable |
| Spectrum Internet Gig | $80 | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | None | Cable |
| Verizon 5G Home Plus Internet | $70 ($45 with eligible mobile plan) | 1,000Mbps | 75Mbps | None | Fixed wireless |
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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 at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Lakeland
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? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for 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 publication.
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 answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Lakeland FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Lakeland?
Spectrum is Lakeland’s best internet service provider, thanks to its wide coverage map and simple service details. Spectrum also offers speeds up to 1,000Mbps and prices starting at $50 per month.
Is fiber internet available in Lakeland?
Fiber connectivity is available to roughly 34% of Lakeland households, with Frontier Fiber taking the lead as the largest fiber provider in the area. Select households may also be serviceable for fiber internet under Hotwire Communications.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Lakeland?
Mediacom offers the cheapest service in Lakeland, costing $35 per month for 100Mbps. However, service is available to only 2% of households, so you’ll be better off choosing Frontier Fiber’s 500Mbps plan for $45.
Which internet provider in Lakeland offers the fastest plan?
Frontier Fiber offers two of the fastest plans in Lakeland: 2,000Mbps for $100 and 5,000Mbps for $155. All plans include equipment and unlimited data.
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