Internet Providers in
Memphis, TN

Compare Top Providers in Your Area

Best Internet Providers in Memphis, TN

If you’re shopping for internet in Memphis, there’s a certain order in which you’ll want to consider your options. The first option to consider is undoubtedly AT&T Fiber, which is the area’s only fiber-optic internet network. Fiber internet is simply the best, fastest, and most reliable option for internet service on the market, and AT&T Fiber uses that technology to deliver symmetrical speeds up to 5 Gbps. It also offers lower-priced plans (which are still quick relative to the competition), with its lowest-cost plan starting at $42 per month.

If AT&T Fiber isn’t available in your area or isn’t an option for you for some other reason, the next provider to consider will be Xfinity. While Xfinity’s cable network isn’t quite as cutting-edge as AT&T Fiber, it’s still a decent broadband internet option and still represents a significant step up over DSL. Xfinity’s top speed — up to 1 Gbps — is nothing to sneeze at, and its NOW Internet plan offering starts at just $30 for download speeds up to 100 Mbps. On top of that, Xfinity is popular for its bundle offerings that start at $60 per month and include services such as TV, home phone, mobile phone, and home security services.

Next in the pecking order are DSL plans. Memphis’ DSL provider is AT&T Internet (not to be confused with the aforementioned AT&T Fiber, which is AT&T’s brand name for fiber internet). AT&T Internet uses a connection type that AT&T calls “IPBB,” which is a hybrid network that makes significant use of DSL infrastructure. As a shopper, you should consider it to be more or less analogous to regular old DSL. DSL isn’t as fast as cable or fiber, but it can be cheaper, so this may be a feasible option for some households.

If you’re new to any of these ISPs, you might be able to take advantage of their limited-time deals and promotions. Xfinity is one of the most popular ISPs to offer opportunities for new customers to save money on their internet service. Currently, Xfinity is offering streaming service subscriptions — Apple TV+, Peacock Premium and Netflix Standard — when you add Xfinity StreamSaver for $15 per month. Xfinity also provides a free Getting Started Kit and shipping when you order. If you go with AT&T Fiber, you can get up to $150 in Visa Reward Cards with your fiber internet plan, and you can get six months of internet free and 20 percent off of AT&T Fiber (up to 1 Gbps) when you add an Unlimited Wireless plan to your bundle package. Because these deals and promotions don’t last long, always check to see what’s available and whether you can apply them to your internet plan.

AT&T - Fastest Provider
Brightspeed - Cheapest Provider
Viasat - Widely Available
Viasat - Great for Rural Areas
T-Mobile - Offers 5G Home Internet
AT&T - Great Value

Fastest Internet Providers in Memphis, TN

AT&T is the fastest provider in Memphis, with speeds up to 5 Gbps.

If pure speed is your priority, look no further than AT&T Fiber. As the single-fastest home internet provider in Memphis, AT&T Fiber’s top speed is 5 Gbps. We particularly like AT&T Fiber for the quickest ISP in Memphis because not only do you get super-fast fiber internet with AT&T, but each plan comes with a fully-equipped AT&T& Wi-Fi Gateway with Wi-Fi 6 technology. So, you don’t have to worry about getting a new modem and router when you subscribe. Plus, unlike Xfinity, you’ll never have a contract or data caps with AT&T Fiber.

While multi-gigabit internet from AT&T Fiber is great, especially if you need quick download and upload speeds, Xfinity is a suitable alternative in Memphis for high-speed internet. Xfinity features download speeds up to 1 Gbps, but its upload speeds aren’t as fantastic. Since it’s a cable internet provider, you’ll only get upload speeds up to 35 Mbps with Xfinity. Also, we don’t love that Xfinity has a 1.2 TB data cap on its plans, which could mean $10 extra in data overage fees each month for each 50 GB you go over your limit (maximum $100).

Both of these providers break the 1 Gbps barrier (known as “gigabit speed”), and anything over 1 Gbps is going to feel extremely fast to most internet users. In fact, depending on how demanding your internet usage is, 500 Mbps may feel fast enough for you.

In a practical sense, most households can get by with 250 Mbps, though it may not always “feel fast.” And some households will be able to work with just 100 Mbps, though that’s likely to give you some trouble when you try to do more bandwidth-intensive activities like streaming Netflix or playing online video games. If you can afford it, we recommend looking for plans at 250 Mbps and up, and we think it’s worth splurging on 500 Mbps or 1 Gbps in many cases.

What’s a Good Internet Speed?

Internet Speed	Appropriate For	Providers in your Area offering this Speed	Availability in your Area
25 Mbps	Email Web browsing Light streaming Smaller households	Rural Connect	6%
100 Mbps	Streaming Video chat Online gaming Larger households	Brightspeed Viasat T-Mobile EarthLink Hughesnet XNET WiFi Starlink	100%
1000 Mbps (1 Gbps)	Heavy streaming (4K video multiple devices etc.) Video chat Lag-free gaming Large households	Spectrum AT&T Xfinity Verizon Ritter C Spire Fiber Northcentral Connect EIN	97.84%

Learn more about internet speeds:

Internet Availability in Memphis, TN

Figuring out which internet service providers are available to you in your area of Memphis is pretty straightforward (especially if you use the ZIP check tool on this page!). The short version is this: You’re going to see two major providers in just about every neighborhood in town, and those two providers are Xfinity and AT&T. The only real question is whether you have access to AT&T Fiber, as opposed to the DSL-powered AT&T Internet product.

So where is AT&T Fiber strongest? It’s at its very best in East Memphis, in neighborhoods like Pidgeon Estates and Richland Acres. Availability is also pretty good just to the north of that area, across Sam Cooper Boulevard and Summer Avenue in Berclair and nearby areas.

AT&T’s fiber footprint isn’t quite as complete in Hyde Park or Hollywood, but it gets stronger again in Midtown and Crosstown, near the Memphis Zoo and Brooks Museum of Art. And you’re also likely to have access to AT&T Fiber if you live north of Route 40, in places like Frayser and Raleigh, though there are exceptions. There are parts of Harbor Town with access to AT&T Fiber, too.

AT&T Fiber’s coverage in Downtown Memphis isn’t quite as good, though there are exceptions. AT&T Fiber is available along the Mississippi in the South Bluffs area, and there’s also a nice patch of coverage down in Longview Heights, near the golf course. AT&T’s fiber footprint gets stronger again as you go by Graceland — you’ll likely be able to sign up if you live around there or down in Whitehaven. AT&T Fiber is also available in some areas east of the airport, particular around Parkway Village.

Provider Connection Types in Memphis, TN

Connection Type	About this Connection Type	Availability in Memphis, TN
Satellite	Available even in very rural areas Typically has high latency (lag)	100%
DSL	Typically about 100 Mbps Slower than Cable or Fiber	71.00999999999999%
Cable	Typically 250 Mbps - 1 Gbps Widely available A good choice for most users	99.07000000000001%
Fiber	Typically 1 Gbps or faster Upload speeds match download speeds	33.64%