Frontier offers fiber optic internet speeds up to 5,000 Mbps (5 Gigs) in North Carolina depending on your location. Xfinity offers speeds of 2 Gig depending on your location. Verizon also offers a fiber service with speeds up to 940 Mbps and Spectrum uses a hybrid setup to offer similar speeds. Xfinity from Comcast offers speeds of 2 Gig. These plans aren’t available in all parts of the state and tend to be offered first in metropolitan areas.

Fiber-optic networks deliver the highest speeds available anywhere and pricing ranges from $39.99 to $299 depending on plan details. Frontier’s 5 Gig fiber optic plan costs $154.99 while Spectrum’s 1 Gig plan is $89.99 for the first year and then $119.99 thereafter. Terms and conditions apply and taxes and fees are extra.

Cable companies now offer combined solutions using Coax-to-Ethernet adaptors to deliver connection speeds up to 1 Gig; speeds about 40 times faster than minimum broadband speeds.

The 1 Gig description refers to 1,000 Mbps, or a gigabyte of information transferred each second. You’ll also see that 1 Gig speeds typically are capped at 940 Mbps based on what the Ethernet equipment is capable of delivering.

A plan that delivers at 1 Gig has more than enough horsepower for large households where several family members are streaming in HD on different devices at the same time. It can handle several devices that are simultaneously gaming, downloading or uploading very large files, and streaming in HD or above.

Spectrum is the largest internet provider in the state with availability to 87% of residents. Spectrum’s 1 Gig service uses a combination of fiber and coaxial cables. The service runs on a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network that extends the reach of fiber optic cables into homes by using existing coaxial lines.

The average internet cost per month in North Carolina is among the highest in the U.S. at $84.30 compared to the $75/mo. national average. That is the average for all connection types and speeds, including DSL, broadband cable, mobile wireless, satellite and fiber optic. Factors that impact pricing including cost of infrastructure, regulatory compliance costs, marketing costs and competitive pressures or lack thereof. In general, the more speed you get the higher the rate, but not always. For example, if you want the fastest speeds in North Carolina, and can get it at our address, you could pay all-in around $180/mo. for a fiber optic 5 Gig plan. But you can pay about that as the regular rate for a top-of-the-menu satellite internet plan. It depends on the carrier, the technology and the competition.

A few things to consider when you are looking at pricing: (1) providers may offer very low introductory prices that can shoot up dramatically after the promotion period; (2) You can lease modems and routers from the provider or in some cases provide your own as long as you check first to see if it will be compatible; (3) You may have an installation and/or an activation fee up front; (4 )Most advertised promotional pricing includes requirements for AutoPay and paperless billing; and, (5) Some carriers require a contract while others don’t. It’s great to be a month-to-month customer without a contract commitment.00 but on the other hand when there is a contract you might get a price lock.

Check with each carrier individually to see if your options for fast internet are in North Carolina. Not all carriers offer coverage to all addresses. When no other coverage is available you can consider satellite internet from Viasat or HughesNet. The Viasat and HughesNet satellites reach most of the continental U.S. You can also check the current coverage map from Starlink satellite internet to see if you can order or pre-order service for your address.