Finest Web Suppliers in Alaska

Alaska is a beautiful state with rugged pure magnificence, nationwide parks and recent seafood. Nevertheless, its choices are much less expansive relating to web service for its 730,000 residents. You may must make some compromises when choosing an web service supplier in Alaska. The alternatives range between fiber, fastened wi-fi, DSL and satellite tv for pc, In keeping with our CNET consultants, GCI is the highest choose for most people within the state — if it is obtainable in your space.

What’s the finest web supplier in Alaska?

CNET’s choose for the perfect web service supplier in Alaska is GCI. The ISP earns the No. 1 spot on our checklist due to high speeds of two.5 gigabits per second and the widest (and nonetheless rising) availability of any wired supplier within the state.

Should you’re looking for the bottom costs round or the quickest blazing speeds, we have additionally discovered these high choices. One of many least expensive web plans in Alaska is obtainable by Alaska Communications, that includes as much as 2,500Mbps beginning at $80 a month.

Virtually any alternative of web supplier in Alaska will include some compromises, whether or not in velocity, value or reliability. Rural residents typically have to decide on between satellite tv for pc, fastened wi-fi or DSL connections, with satellite tv for pc as the one viable possibility for some. Although the broadband scene might sound somewhat bleak, there are causes for optimism as a result of greater than $1 billion in federal funding is pouring into the state to enhance web entry in underserved communities. 

Finest web choices in Alaska in 2025

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge

Web breakdown by metropolis in Alaska

It’s exhausting to cowl the broadband choices of a whole state like Alaska and provides particular person cities the eye they deserve. That’s why we additionally compile lists of the perfect web suppliers throughout totally different cities in Alaska. We sort out particulars comparable to web connection varieties, most speeds, least expensive suppliers and extra. Test again later should you don’t discover the town you’re on the lookout for beneath. We’re working so as to add extra areas each week. 

Low-cost web choices in Alaska

You gained’t discover discount basement costs on web service in Alaska. Most of the providers that are available in on a budget aspect within the contiguous 48 states aren’t obtainable on this northern state. Which means no bundling bargains with the likes of 5G dwelling web service from Verizon 5G Dwelling Web or T-Cellular Dwelling Web. In case your month-to-month web invoice is underneath $100 for an honest velocity stage, then you definitely’re doing fairly nicely in Alaska. GCI and Alaska Communications have plans for underneath 100, however speeds will range based mostly on location and the kind of web connection.

Alaska broadband particulars at a look

Many rural Alaska ISPs have roots in long-time phone cooperatives which have advanced to supply web providers. That’s why DSL is a standard possibility for these native corporations. There are some drawbacks with legacy DSL networks, like slower high speeds than you’ll get with cable or fiber. DSL could be serviceable when there are few different choices. FCC knowledge means that 100% of residents can entry broadband speeds, outlined as at the very least 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up. That quantity consists of the attain of satellite tv for pc web, which is not a terrific resolution for everybody attributable to expense or lack of a transparent view of the sky. 

The story of fiber in Alaska is fairly slim for the time being. The FCC exhibits solely about 14% of residents can entry fiber. If we have a look at gig speeds and better, that drops to only about 11%. What little fiber entry there may be tends to be targeted on extra populated areas. There are some surprising pockets of fiber. Native ISP Copper Valley Telecom providers Valdez, a metropolis of underneath 4,000 individuals, with speeds as much as 1,000Mbps. Fiber is all the time on the high of dwelling web want lists, however Alaska’s terrain and distant areas make it a difficult place to construct in depth fiber networks.

How one can discover web offers and promotions in Alaska

The very best web offers and high promotions in Alaska rely upon what reductions can be found throughout a given time. Most offers are short-lived, however we glance often for the newest affords. 

Giant suppliers run the identical commonplace pricing year-round in some elements of the nation. The smaller and extra native suppliers in Alaska, comparable to GCI, don’t comply with a sure timeline when altering their costs.

For a extra in depth checklist of promos, try our information on the finest web offers.

How briskly is Alaska’s broadband?

In the case of dwelling web, Alaska is available in at 49 for Ookla’s This autumn 2023 Speedtest.web rating of web speeds for the 50 states and Washington, DC. Alaska ranks on the backside of the checklist with a median obtain velocity of 119Mbps. For reference, the US’s total velocity is at 262Mbps. That is fairly a distinction. Ookla lists GCI as Alaska’s quickest supplier, with a decent median obtain velocity of 284Mbps. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the identical father or mother firm as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

Quick web could be exhausting to return by within the Final Frontier. About 100% of Alaska properties can entry web speeds of at the very least 100Mbps, in keeping with the FCC. Transfer as much as 250Mbps, and that dips to 78%. If quick web is a should for you and also you’re transferring to Alaska, you’ll need to do some homework about the place to land. Your finest wager for gig speeds can be within the larger cities.

As of June 2025, Ookla studies that Alaska has a median obtain velocity of 179Mbps for fastened web. Ookla city-level knowledge confirmed Anchorage with a median fastened web obtain velocity of 259Mbps, Fairbanks was 274Mbps, and Juneau logged 134Mbps. These numbers can change over time. 

With restricted choices, switching to a sooner supplier shouldn’t be all the time possible. You may benefit from your web connection by following these steps to hurry up your Wi-Fi.   

What’s an excellent web velocity?

Most web connection plans can now deal with fundamental productiveness and communication duties. Should you’re on the lookout for an web plan that may accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you will have a greater expertise with a extra strong connection. Here is an outline of the beneficial minimal obtain speeds for varied functions, in keeping with the FCC. Word that these are solely pointers and that web velocity, service and efficiency range by connection sort, supplier and deal with.

For extra info, seek advice from our information on how a lot web velocity you really want.

• 0 to 5Mbps means that you can sort out the fundamentals: searching the web, sending and receiving e mail and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps provides you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps ought to give one consumer ample bandwidth to fulfill the calls for of recent telecommuting, video streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps permits one to 2 customers to concurrently interact in high-bandwidth actions like videoconferencing, streaming and on-line gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps permits three or extra customers to have interaction in high-bandwidth actions on the identical time.

How CNET selected the perfect web suppliers in Alaska

Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. In contrast to the newest smartphone, laptop computer, router or kitchen device, it is impractical to personally check each web service supplier in a given metropolis. What’s our method? For starters, we faucet right into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and velocity info that pulls from our personal historic ISP knowledge, companion knowledge and mapping info from the Federal Communications Fee at FCC.gov. 

It doesn’t finish there. We go to the FCC’s web site to verify our knowledge and guarantee we think about each ISP that gives service in an space. We additionally enter native addresses on supplier web sites to seek out particular choices for residents. We have a look at sources, together with the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, to guage how completely satisfied prospects are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent adjustments; all info supplied is correct as of publication. 

As soon as we have now this localized info, we ask three fundamental questions: 

• Does the supplier provide entry to moderately quick web speeds? 
• Do prospects get first rate worth for what they’re paying? 
• Are prospects proud of their service? 

Whereas the reply to these questions is commonly layered and sophisticated, the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we advocate. When choosing the most cost effective web service, we search for the plans with the bottom month-to-month charge, though we additionally think about issues like value will increase, tools charges and contracts. Selecting the quickest web service is comparatively simple. We have a look at marketed add and obtain speeds and think about real-world velocity knowledge from sources like Ookla and FCC studies.

To discover our course of in additional depth, go to our how we check ISPs web page.

What is the remaining phrase on web suppliers in Alaska?

Alaska poses a number of challenges to the growth of high-speed and reasonably priced broadband. The terrain could be unforgiving, the climate could be excessive and lots of communities are in distant areas. Fortuitously, there was a concentrate on broadband growth, particularly in these distant areas. Cordova Telecom Cooperative introduced in 2023 it could be putting in a submarine fiber optic cable from Cordova to Juneau to ship fiber to Pelican, Yakutat, Gustavus and Hoonah. The venture may take 5 years to finish. Alaska will even obtain $100 million in US Division of Agriculture funding to construct out fiber (and a few wi-fi) web within the Bethel, Yukon-Kuskokwim, Kusilvak and Hoonah-Angoon areas. GCI’s work to deliver fiber-based wired connections to distant communities can also be notable. In December 2023, GCI linked over 4-thousand Alaskans to entry speeds of as much as 2.5Gigs by way of its Aleutians Fiber Venture. Relating to bettering broadband, Alaska has nowhere to go however up.

Residents can anticipate to select from a variety of DSL, satellite tv for pc and stuck wi-fi plans. Though, choices are restricted in most distant areas, Alaskans usually have entry to satellite tv for pc suppliers like Starlink with plans beginning at $120 a month. GCI affords high speeds of two,500Mbps for $190 a month.

Web in Alaska FAQs