Best Internet Providers in North Platte, Nebraska – CNET

I love North Platte, Nebraska. It’s a rail fan’s dream. I spent time up high in the observation tower of the Golden Spike, watching the freight cars roll down the humps. I absorbed the Buffalo Bill Cody heritage and took my picture with the Muffler Man at the Fort Cody Trading Post. I don’t live in North Platte, but about 23,000 people do, and they need reliable, high-speed internet just as much as the folks who live in big cities. 

North Platte residents have several internet service providers vying for attention, notably ALLO and Spectrum. ALLO earns CNET’s recommendation for best overall ISP, but Spectrum offers some tempting introductory pricing deals that will attract budget-conscious customers. The ISP scene is filled out by DSL (and a tiny bit of fiber) from CenturyLink alongside Nebraska fixed wireless provider ATC Communications. Let’s get this internet train a-rolling and check out the best ISPs in North Platte.

Best internet in North Platte in 2023

North Platte has just about every flavor of the internet. There’s fiber, cable, DSL, fixed wireless and satellite. Based on coverage area, speed and pricing, my top recommendations are fiber from ALLO, cable from Spectrum and fixed wireless from ATC Communications. 

ALLO

Best internet provider in North Platte, NE

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Product details

Price range

$73 – $102 per month

Speed range

500 – 1,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Key Info

Equipment included, no contracts or data caps

ALLO gets my top recommendation for two reasons: fiber and availability. The ISP covers most of the town with gigabit speeds and uploads as fast as downloads. 

Availability: ALLO has coverage across the heart of North Platte from the Buffalo Bill Ranch in the north down to State Farm Road in the south. ALLO also recently expanded to the Lake Maloney area south of town.

Plans and pricing: ALLO offers two plans. You can get 500Mbps for $66 per month or 1,000Mbps for $95 monthly. Households eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program can sign up for a free 100Mbps plan. 

Fees and service details: ALLO isn’t the cheapest provider, but the pricing is very straightforward. Equipment is included, and there are no contracts or data caps.

Check ALLO availability

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Spectrum

Best cable internet in North Platte, NE

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Product details

Price range

$30- $70 per month

Speed range

100 – 1,000Mbps

Connection

Cable

Key Info

Unlimited data, simple pricing, no contracts, modem included, free access to nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots

ALLO’s chief rival in North Platte is Spectrum. The cable provider offers wide coverage across the area and has some very affordable introductory deals for new customers. 

Availability: You’ll find Spectrum pretty much everywhere you go in North Platte, including the area around Lake Maloney.

Plans and pricing: Spectrum has two main plans in North Platte. It’s $40 per month for 500Mbps downloads or $60 monthly for a gig. Upload speeds max out at 35Mbps on the 500Mbps plan. Prices are good for two years. Spectrum doesn’t always advertise all of its plans online, so consider calling the ISP to find out if other plans (like a 300Mbps option) are available to you. 

Fees and service details: Spectrum is competing with ALLO by offering plans with no contracts or data caps with a free modem included. Expect your monthly price to increase once your initial low-cost period is over. For example, the typical monthly price for the 500Mbps plan is $105.

Read our Spectrum Internet review.

Check Spectrum Internet availability

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ATC Communications

Best local fixed wireless in North Platte, NE

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Product details

Price range

$40 – $70 per month

Speed range

25 – 50Mbps

Connection

Fixed wireless

Key Info

No data caps, cheaper installation with 2-year contract

If you’re in the main part of North Platte, you’ll want to prioritize ALLO or Spectrum. If you’re outside their coverage areas, look to ATC Communications and its fixed wireless network to get online. ATC is based in Arapahoe, Nebraska, and focuses on providing internet to the state’s rural communities.

Availability: ATC covers North Platte and the surrounding area, making it an option for rural residents located outside the reach of the fiber and cable ISPs. 

Plans and pricing: Two speed tiers are available: 25Mbps for $40 per month or 50Mbps for $70 per month. Those speeds are pretty typical for rural fixed wireless. Location can make a big difference in the strength of your connection. Learn more about how fixed wireless works and how it compares to other types of internet. 

Fees and service details: ATC has no data caps. You can get installation for $99 with a two-year agreement. Installation costs $299 without a contract. Modem rental runs for $10 per month, or you can buy one for $149.

Check ATC Communications availability

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Other available internet providers in North Platte

ALLO and Spectrum should be the first ISPs you check into for home internet in North Platte, but they aren’t the only options available. Rural residents, in particular, may look at ATC Communications or Rise Broadband to get online. CenturyLink covers a lot of the town with its outdated DSL network.

• CenturyLink: CenturyLink’s broad coverage of North Platte is primarily through its older DSL network. Speeds typically top out at 100Mbps but can be much slower than that, depending on location. The plan is priced at $55 per month for whatever speed you can get at your address. CenturyLink has a tiny fiber presence in North Platte if you live north of the airport. It’s great if you can get it. Fiber plans run from $30 to $70 monthly for speeds of 200-940Mbps. You can lease a modem for $15 per month, buy one for $200 or provide your own.
• Rise Broadband: Rural fixed wireless specialist Rise Broadband covers a wide area around North Platte. Speeds can vary depending on location and a good line of sight to a tower. Typical speeds range from 25-100Mbps with a monthly price between $45 and $65. Rise has been offering unlimited data with its plans. If you’re in town, you’ll probably go with ALLO or Spectrum, but if you’re outside of those networks, look into fixed wireless before you turn to satellite internet. 
• Satellite internet: When DSL, cable, fiber and fixed wireless aren’t working out for you, it’s time to investigate satellite internet. It can be pricey and slow, but it’s the only option for some rural households. Check Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet to compare speeds, equipment costs, data caps and monthly prices.

North Platte broadband at a glance

ALLO and Spectrum are North Platte’s fastest providers. ALLO makes a strong case with its fiber network and straightforward plans, while Spectrum competes on affordable introductory pricing. While 5G home internet from Verizon and T-Mobile is spreading across the country, I couldn’t find open slots in North Platte. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network covers only the southern and eastern reaches of the city, while T-Mobile’s 5G Ultra Capacity network is not yet available in the area. Here’s what you need to know about 5G home internet.

Pricing details on North Platte home internet service

The starting price for home internet in North Platte is $50 or under from most ISPs. Spectrum has wide coverage for its affordable $40-per-month 500Mbps cable plan. ALLO starts at $66 per month for 500Mbps service, but that comes with 500Mbps uploads, while Spectrum’s 500Mbps plan tops out at 20Mbps uploads.

Cheap internet options in North Platte

While CenturyLink’s $30 fiber plan is a bargain, there’s very little availability in North Platte. Most CenturyLink customers will be looking at the $55 DSL plans. You’ll be better off with Spectrum’s $40-for-500Mbps plan, at least until the price goes up down the line. If there’s room in your budget, ALLO’s entry-level $66 plan is your best bet for fiber across most of North Platte. That’s a decent value, considering the equally fast uploads.

Low-income households should check for eligibility for the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. It provides a $30-per-month ($75 on tribal lands) subsidy for home internet. That means free or reduced prices on internet service from most ISPs. ALLO, for example, offers a free 100Mbps fiber plan for ACP-eligible residents in North Platte.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How fast is broadband in North Platte?

Recent Ookla Speedtest data shows North Platte with a median download speed of 211Mbps. That compares well to the US overall median download speed of 207Mbps. North Platte’s healthy internet stats are thanks to ALLO and Spectrum’s speedy offerings. Both providers have gig download speeds available, with ALLO’s fiber service also offering fast uploads.

Fastest internet providers in North Platte

ALLO is top of the pops when it comes to symmetrical speeds. The ISP’s 1,000Mbps plan is more expensive than the Spectrum equivalent (at least at first), but it’s worth the price for anyone who needs to upload large files. Spectrum comes in cheaper at the gig level. The only other ISP that comes close is CenturyLink’s fiber plans. However, lack of availability is the big issue regarding CenturyLink fiber options in North Platte.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in North Platte

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data 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: 

• Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
• Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying? 
• 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.

To explore our process in more depth, you can visit our page on how we test ISPs.

What’s the final word on internet providers in North Platte?

Picking your North Platte home’s best internet provider will depend on your needs. As a fan of fiber, I recommend checking out ALLO. If you’re on a tight budget, Spectrum has some affordable deals, but be prepared to negotiate your price once the introductory period is up. If you’re in a more rural area where ALLO and Spectrum don’t reach, look into CenturyLink DSL, ATC Communications or Rise Broadband to get online.

Internet providers in North Platte FAQs

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