Best Internet Providers in Alaska

Alaska is a beautiful state with rugged pure magnificence, nationwide parks and contemporary seafood. Nonetheless, its choices are much less expansive in terms of web service for its 730,000 residents. You may should make some compromises when choosing an internet service provider in Alaska. The alternatives fluctuate between fiber, fastened wi-fi, DSL and satellite, In keeping with our CNET consultants, GCI is the highest choose for most folk within the state — if it is accessible in your space.

What’s the finest web supplier in Alaska?

CNET’s choose for the most effective web service supplier in Alaska is GCI. The ISP earns the No. 1 spot on our record 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 attempting to find the bottom costs round or the quickest blazing speeds, we have additionally discovered these high choices. One of many most cost-effective web plans in Alaska is obtainable by Alaska Communications, that includes as much as 2,500Mbps beginning at $80 a month.

Virtually any selection of web supplier in Alaska will include some compromises, whether or not in velocity, worth or reliability. Rural residents usually 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 could 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 arduous to cowl the broadband choices of a complete state like Alaska and provides particular person cities the eye they deserve. That’s why we additionally compile lists of the most effective web suppliers throughout completely different cities in Alaska. We deal with particulars corresponding to web connection sorts, most speeds, most cost-effective suppliers and extra. Test again later in case you don’t discover town you’re in search of beneath. We’re working so as to add extra places each week. 

Low-cost web choices in Alaska

You received’t discover discount basement costs on web service in Alaska. Most of the providers that are available on a budget facet within the contiguous 48 states aren’t accessible on this northern state. Which means no bundling bargains with the likes of 5G home internet service from Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet. In case your month-to-month web invoice is underneath $100 for an honest velocity stage, then you definately’re doing fairly effectively in Alaska. GCI and Alaska Communications have plans for underneath 100, however speeds will fluctuate primarily based 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 firms. There are some drawbacks with legacy DSL networks, like slower high speeds than you’ll get with cable or fiber. DSL may 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 an ideal resolution for everybody as a consequence of expense or lack of a transparent view of the sky. 

The story of fiber in Alaska is fairly slim in the intervening time. The FCC shows 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 centered 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.

Find out how to discover web offers and promotions in Alaska

The perfect 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 most recent gives. 

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

For a extra in depth record of promos, take a look at our information on the best internet deals.

How briskly is Alaska’s broadband?

In the case of home internet, Alaska is available in at 49 for Ookla’s Q4 2023 Speedtest.net ranking of web speeds for the 50 states and Washington, DC. Alaska ranks on the backside of the record with a median obtain velocity of 119Mbps. For reference, the US’s general 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 mum or dad firm as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

Quick web may be arduous to come back by within the Final Frontier. About 100% of Alaska houses can entry web speeds of at the very least 100Mbps, according to 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 wish to do some homework about the place to land. Your finest wager for gig speeds will probably 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 isn’t all the time possible. You’ll be able to take advantage of your web connection by following these steps to speed 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 in search of 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 summary of the really helpful minimal obtain speeds for varied functions, according to the FCC. Word that these are solely pointers and that web velocity, service and efficiency fluctuate by connection sort, supplier and deal with.

For extra info, seek advice from our information on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps lets you deal with the fundamentals: shopping 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 person adequate 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 have interaction 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 most effective web suppliers in Alaska

Web service suppliers are quite a few and regional. In contrast to the most recent smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it is impractical to personally take a look at each web service supplier in a given metropolis. What’s our strategy? For starters, we faucet right into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and velocity info that pulls from our personal historic ISP knowledge, associate 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 test 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 comfortable prospects are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and costs are topic to frequent modifications; all info offered is correct as of publication. 

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

• Does the supplier supply entry to fairly quick web speeds? 
• Do prospects get first rate worth for what they’re paying? 
• Are prospects pleased with their service? 

Whereas the reply to these questions is commonly layered and complicated, the suppliers who come closest to “sure” on all three are those we advocate. When deciding on the most affordable web service, we search for the plans with the bottom month-to-month price, though we additionally consider issues like worth 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 reports.

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

What is the last phrase on web suppliers in Alaska?

Alaska poses plenty of challenges to the enlargement of high-speed and inexpensive broadband. The terrain may be unforgiving, the climate may be excessive and lots of communities are in distant areas. Fortuitously, there was a give attention to broadband enlargement, particularly in these distant areas. Cordova Telecom Cooperative announced in 2023 it might be putting in a submarine fiber optic cable from Cordova to Juneau to ship fiber to Pelican, Yakutat, Gustavus and Hoonah. The mission may take 5 years to finish. Alaska will even obtain $100 million in US Department 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 bring fiber-based wired connections to remote communities is also notable. In December 2023, GCI related over 4-thousand Alaskans to entry speeds of as much as 2.5Gigs by its Aleutians Fiber Challenge. Relating to enhancing broadband, Alaska has nowhere to go however up.

Residents can anticipate to select from a variety of DSL, satellite tv for pc and glued 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 gives high speeds of two,500Mbps for $190 a month.

Web in Alaska FAQs