What is the best internet provider in Mississippi?

AT&T Fiber’s plan selection, pricing, service terms, high customer satisfaction and overall value make it the best high-speed internet service provider in Mississippi. The 100% fiber connection delivers fast, symmetrical speeds ranging from 300 to 5,000 megabits per second.

AT&T and its multigigabit plans are fast, but they surprisingly aren’t the fastest in Mississippi. Local provider MaxxSouth Broadband has the fastest plan in the state, boasting 10,000Mbps (10 gigabits per second) for only $999 monthly.

How about something a little cheaper? Xfinity has the cheapest internet plan in Mississippi, with download speeds up to 75Mbps starting at $20 per month. Mediacom and Sparklight are also top choices for cheap internet, as both offer 100Mbps starting at $25 monthly. 

Whether you’re looking for the fastest speeds, the cheapest plan or the best overall value, you’ll find everything you need to know about the top ISPs in Mississippi below.

Best internet in Mississippi

The connection type can be as important as the providers and plans when shopping for the internet. Fiber internet is often preferred, especially if it’s from AT&T Fiber.

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Cable internet is a runner-up to fiber in terms of speed and reliability. It’s also often where you’ll find the cheapest rates. Case in point: Xfinity.

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Fixed wireless internet is ideal for internet in rural areas. The low pricing, decent speeds and simple service terms of T-Mobile Home Internet may be enough to lure you away from the big cable or fiber providers. 

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While Xfinity largely sticks to Mississippi’s more densely populated areas, Sparklight’s cable internet service covers many of the state’s smaller cities. 

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Check with Sparklight

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in Mississippi

• AT&T Internet: Max speeds from AT&T’s copper-based DSL service, AT&T Internet, fall well short of AT&T Fiber at around 10 to 100Mbps. Service costs $55 per month for the fastest speeds you can get in that range. While there are still no contracts or equipment fees, a 1.5TB data cap applies.  
• Kinetic: As a fiber provider, Kinetic by Windstream is as good as any. As a DSL provider, it’s better than most. Unfortunately, availability is limited in Mississippi, as only select areas between Jackson and Hattiesburg are serviceable. 
• MaxxSouth Broadband: Local fiber provider MaxxSouth Broadband advertises 150 to 1,000Mbps starting at $30 to $70 per month. Faster plans of 2Gbps, 4Gbps, 6Gbps and 10Gbps may be available in select areas, but be aware that the plans are priced to match their speeds (high). Availability is limited to Carthage, Starkville, Oxford, New Albany and other random pockets of northeast Mississippi.
• Mediacom: Cable provider Mediacom has a small presence in Mississippi, particularly in the southern part of the state. Speeds are about what you would expect from a cable internet provider, in the 100 to 1,000Mbps range, though pricing is slightly lower than most.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Faster than T-Mobile Home Internet, but currently with far less coverage in Mississippi, Verizon 5G Home Internet is available in parts of Jackson and random parts of the state. There are two plan options: $50 per month for speeds between 50 and 300Mbps or $70 per month for speeds between 85 and 1,000Mbps. Both plans come with free equipment, unlimited data, no contracts and an additional discount for qualifying Verizon mobile customers.
• Satellite internet: When no other internet providers are available, satellite internet from HughesNet or Viasat may be your only option for broadband. Service isn’t exceptionally fast or cheap, but it’s available everywhere and will get you online. Starlink may be the satellite solution for faster speeds, lower latency and unlimited data. Still, with an equipment purchase fee of nearly $600, it does little to alleviate the sky-high costs. 

Cheap internet options in Mississippi

Xfinity has the cheapest plan of any major provider in Mississippi, starting at $20 per month for speeds up to 75Mbps. Other providers, including Mediacom, MaxxSouth, Sparklight and Kinetic, also offer plans under $50 monthly and come with faster speeds than you’ll get with Xfinity’s cheapest plan.

T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet may be options for cheap internet as well for those who qualify for a mobile discount.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Mississippi

The best internet deals and top promotions in Mississippi depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Mississippi internet providers, such as Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or special offers for a limited time. Many, however, including AT&T, Kinetic and Sparklight, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of promotions, check out our guide on the best internet deals. 

How fast is Mississippi broadband?

Ookla speed test data from the third quarter of 2023 shows Mississippi had a median download speed of 162Mbps, ranking 40th among US states and Washington, DC. Arkansas is the only neighboring state with a lower median speed (147Mbps).

While speed tests indicate actual speeds people across Mississippi are getting, they aren’t necessarily representative of the speeds you could get. Many factors affect speed test results, including using Wi-Fi and the internet plan’s max speeds. If you want faster speeds, they are available from a variety of providers in Mississippi.

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 Mississippi

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:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

While 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 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 consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Mississippi?

While not the outright cheapest or fastest provider in the state, AT&T Fiber is our top recommendation for internet in Mississippi. All things considered — speeds, pricing, free equipment, unlimited data — the value of AT&T Fiber is tough to beat.

Xfinity, Sparklight and Mediacom are your best bets for cheap internet in Mississippi, with plans starting below $30 monthly. However, all have price increases at some point, and renting a Wi-Fi router will add $13 or more to your bill — something to keep in mind when shopping for cheap internet.

Other providers, such as Kinetic and MaxxSouth Broadband, are worth checking out if available. Depending on the speeds you can get, T-Mobile Home Internet is ideal for broadband in rural areas or as an alternative to other providers in your area.

Internet providers in Mississippi FAQs