On this page we cover information on how to get internet service in North Carolina. Below you’ll find details on who to get internet access from, where to find mobile 3G coverage, what types of connections the top colleges in the state provide their students and where to find free wi-fi hotspots.
Find the Best Internet Service Provider in Your Area of North Carolina
Local Residential Internet Service Providers
What we have below are 3 ISPs that provide internet access locally in the state of North Carolina. They provide connections to residential areas.
- Greenlight: Greenlight has different internet packages available starting from 10 Mbps download at $34.95/month to 100 Mbps download at $149.95/month. If you want an Internet-only Service plan, there is a 20 Mbps download priced at $59.85. Call them at 252-296-3374 for more details.
- Morris Broadband: Morris Broadband’s residential High Speed Internet Product Overview includes 3 plans. The first is the Intro plan with a speed of up to 3 Mbps download at $29.95/month. Next is the Residential plan with up to 8 Mbps at $45.95/month. They also have the Online Max plan with up to 20 Mbps download at $59.95/month. Dial 888-855-9036 to know more details.
- SkyBest Communications: SkyBest has 5 itnernet packages available for our residence. The basic speed comest 768 Kbps download at $19.95/month. Next is 4 Mbps download at $44.95/month, 8 Mbps dowbnload at $54.95/month, 20 Mbps download at $79.95, and 50 Mbps download at $119.95/month. Check out more information by calling 336-877-1350.
Local Business Internet Service Providers
These 3 ISPs are also local to North Carolina. They provide internet connections to small businesses.
- Northland Communications: Northland’s business internet broadband comes with a download stream of up to 12 to 24 Mbps and with upload stream of up to 2 to 4 Mbps. Dial their toll free number to request a price quotation at (800) 828-8019.
- Zito Media: Zito Media’s High-Speed Internet for business come with speeds up to 6 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. To get a price quote, contact them at 866-879-6235.
- MI-Connection: MI has always-on, high-speed Internet access for your business. They also include a 24 X 7 Business Class Support which has one number for local service and support. Offering a range of bandwidth speeds on MI-Connection’s Hybrid Fiber Coax network, MI has different bandwidth speeds available. Prices are not stated on the website but you can call their office at 704-360-1805.
North Carolina Internet Connections and Coverage
In this section I’ve outlined some details regarding the internet speed in North Carolina, both on a state level and city level.
In regards to the average internet speed as a state, North Carolina is sitting at 13.35 Mbps, which is slightly faster than the national average of 12.55 Mbps.
The 5 cities with fastest internet speed in North Carolina are:
- Hudson – 26.16 Mbps
- Roanoke Rapids – 25.88 Mbps
- Lenoir – 24.95 Mbps
- Taylorsville – 24.85 Mbps
- Denver – 22.23 Mbps
The 5 fastest internet service providers in North Carolina are:
- Charter Communications – 21.54 Mbps
- Road Runner -17.18 Mbps
- Mediacom – 13.24 Mbps
- Greenlight – 12.92 Mbps
- Suddenlink Communications – 11.48 Mbps
Keep in mind that this information changes regularly, so for the most current stats you’ll want to check out the North Carolina page at NetIndex.com.
Mobile 3G Internet Coverage for North Carolina
In this section we’ve covered where you can find mobile internet coverage in North Carolina from 3 of the top mobile providers. Keep in mind that before you buy, you should double check the ISP’s coverage maps to make sure there will be service in the areas you need it.
Clear: Clear mobile coverage covers a lot of areas with their 3G signals in North Carolina. Most of the stronger signals are located in major cities like Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, and High Point.
AT&T: North Carolina’s mobile coverage by AT&T can be found mostly at the central portion of the state. Other places don’t have mobile coverage because of mountains, rivers, forests and land and water forms that make it difficult to get signals.
Verizon: Verizon’s internet mobile coverage is pretty good in North Carolina. It’s only some parts in the extreme west and some parts in the east that do not have 3G signals.
Top 5 Colleges in North Carolina & Their Internet Access
Below we’ve listed the top 5 colleges in the state of North Carolina, the internet access they provide to their students and how to connect to it.
North Carolina State University
NC State boasts a high-speed, high-capacity gigabit Ethernet fiber optic data network infrastructure. All classrooms and residence halls are wired for high-speed Internet access. Also, NCSU has rolled out a new Guest Wireless system throughout campus. This will allow visitors/guests to have access to the internet without having to authenticate to the NOMAD system.
Wake Forest University
Wireless internet is available to Wake Forest University students. Students, faculty, staff and guest account holders can configure personal laptops and mobile devices for the campus wireless network.
To connect to the Wake Forest University Reynolds Campus computing network, visitors must obtain a guest account. Accounts may be obtained on line through a WFU sponsor or be obtained by the campus visitor at the Bridge.
Duke University
There are two ways you can connect wirelessly at the Duke University. If you have a Duke NetID, connect to the DUKE network, you can open your network preferences and look for a network called “DUKE;” make sure encryption is disabled. If you don’t have a Duke NetID, connect to Duke’s visitor networ, you can open your network preferences and look for a network called “visitor,” which should be available to you across campus. Select this network.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s wireless internet can be accessed by connecting to the “uncc49er” network. This requires the student to enter their NinerNET username and password. University guests enter email address in the Guest field.
Davidson College
Davidson College provides unencrypted wireless access to the Internet for use by visitors and guests of the College and participants in non-academic College events and programs. To get connected, you can simply choose DavidsonGuest in your device’s list of wireless networks.
Free Internet Access Spots in North Carolina
Free Wi Fi access in North Carolina is available mostly in restaurants, hotels, and coffee & pastry shops like Panera Bread and The Coffee Beanery. You can also find free wifi hotspots in these places:
- Scruffy Duck Carwash in Apex
- Asheville Visitors Center in Asheville
- Allstar Service Centers in Cary
- Bojangles in Elizabeth City
- Marine Corp Exchange Food Court in Jacksonville
Keep in mind that this is far from a complete list. This shortlist is just to show you where you could go or what to look for if you need to find a free wi-fi hotspot in North Carolina.