If you’re looking for information on how to get internet service in the state of Virginia, then you’re in luck. Below you’ll find information on what ISPs provide service in Virgina, where to go to get 3G access, what the top schools offer their students and where you can find free wi-fi hotspots.
Find the Best Internet Service Provider in Your Area of Virginia
Local Residential Internet Service Providers
Immediately below you’ll find 4 local ISPs that provide service to residential areas.
- Metrocast: In Virginia, Metrocast’s packages include an Internet Access plan for $24.95/month with up to 256 Kbps download speed. They also have High Speed Basic for $35.95/month with up to 1.5 Mbps download, High Speed Internet for $46.95/month with up to 12 Mbps, and High Speed Ultra for $69.95/month with up to 25 Mbps. Contact them at (800) 633-8578.
- Visual Link Internet: Visual Link offers internet plans for your home. The prices and packages vary on the availability of service in your area. For example, upon checking an address in Richmond, a plan shows with a $29.95/month cost with 768 Kbps download speed. Contact them to know more details at 540-754-1630.
- TDS Telecom: TDS Telecom offers different packages depending on your area in Virginia. An example is for Millboro; TDS offers their Lite package for $14.95/month for 6 months at 1 Mbps download speed. Their Express package for costs $24.95/month for 1 year has 2–5Mbps download speed. Their Turbo package costs $29.95/month for 1 year with 8–15Mbps download speed. Lastly, their Extreme package costs $44.95 /mo. for 1 year with 18–25Mbps download speed. Visit their site for availability and pricing. Better yet, contact them at 866-571-6662 for details.
- Ting: Ting sell residential internet connections in Charlotteville. Their smallest package of 5 Mbit cost 19$/month as well as a variable startup fee around 400$. They also offer a 1000 Mbit connection for 89$/month, also with a 400$ startup fee. Ting can be reached at 855-846-4389.
Local Business Internet Service Providers
These 4 ISPs are also local to Virginia, but instead of providing internet service to residential areas, their focus is on small businesses.
- Bristol Virginia Utilities: BVU OptiNet has an Optinet Tier 1 Business package with 1.5 Mbps download for $49.95/month. 20 Mbps Service for $89.95, and 50 Mbps Service for $189.95/month. If you want other high-speed business internet rates, call them at 423-306-7709 to request for a quote.
- Buggs Island Telephone Cooperative: BIT’s Business Internet plans start at $59.95/month with up to 1.5 Mbps download speed. They also have up to 2 Mbps download at $89.95, up to 3 Mbps download at $99.95, and up to 4 Mbps download at $129.95. Call them for more information at 866-463-1800.
- Lumos Networks: Lumos Networks has two Business DSL Packages for you to choose from. The first comes with a speed of up to 3 Mbps for $29.95/month when it’s bundled with other Lumos services. They also have up to 6 Mbps download speed for $39.95 when bundled with Lumos Networks business voice services. Call them for details at 800-320-6144.
- Ting: Ting offers fiber based internet connecting with symmetrical speeds of up to 1000 Mbps in Charlotteville for 139$/month with a varying startup cost around 500$. You can reach Ting at 855-846-4389.
Virginia Internet Connections and Coverage
In this section you’ll find information regarding the average internet speed in Virginia, as well as the cities with the fastest speeds and who the fastest ISPs are.
In regards to the average speed, Virginia is 19.13 Mbps which is much higher than the national average of 12.55 Mbps.
The 5 cities with fastest internet speed in Virginia are:
- Dumfries – 32.51 Mbps
- Haymarket – 28.24 Mbps
- Midlothian – 27.67 Mbps
- Edinburg – 27.58 Mbps
- Reston – 26.82 Mbps
The 5 fastest internet service providers in Virginia are:
- Verizon Internet – 22.26 Mbps
- Comcast – 20.90 Mbps
- Charter Communications – 19/38 Mbps
- Cox – 18.63 Mbps
- AT&T – 17.61 Mbps
Please keep in mind that these numbers can change at any time (and they do), so for the most current information you’ll want to visit the Virginia page at NetIndex.com.
Mobile 3G Internet Coverage for Virginia
Here we have a few details on the mobile 3G coverage in Virginia from 3 top mobile internet providers. Keep in mind that coverage maps change all the time, so we encourage you to double check the coverage maps before choosing and buying a plan to ensure you’ll have signal in your area.
Clear: Not much Clear 3G signals can be found in Virginia. Only major places like Richmond, Roanoke and Danville have these signals.
AT&T: There’s not much mobile internet coverage by AT&T in the western and south western state of Virginia due to mountain terrains on this side of the state.
Verizon: Some areas in Central Virginia do not have 3G mobile coverage. There are also more areas on the western area towards the West Virginia state that do not have mobile internet.
Top 5 Colleges in Virginia& Their Internet Access
Below we list the top 5 colleges in Virginia, the internet access they provide their students and how to connect to it.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech’s wireless internet can be accessed using the SSID VT-Wireless. For university guests, they need to contact the department they are visiting to arrange for Wireless LAN access while on campus.
Norfolk State University
NSU deploys a robust and secure wireless network, with speeds of up to 300 Mbps. There are hotspots in every building with an ever growing number of buildings with complete coverage.
SpartanLink is the NSU campus network created for student access. It allows access to the Internet for web browsing. It consists of two parts, traditional wired connections and wireless access. SpartanLink-WiFi is the wireless portion. It allows students to use a laptop with a wireless network card to connect to the NSUWIRELESS network.
NSUGUEST is designed for use by visitors and guests.
University of Richmond
All users must have an active University network account (NetID and password) to access “urwin,” the wireless network. Visitors who wish to access the wireless network must request a “guest” account to be created for them.
The College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary offers free wireless high-speed Internet access in nearly every corner of campus, inside and out. In addition to wireless access, all residence hall rooms come with wired Ethernet jacks for that extra burst of speed.
Virginia Commonwealth University
There are two wireless SSIDs in Virginia Commonwealth University: VCU Guest Wireless &SafeNet Wireless. VCU Guest Wireless available for all visitors to the VCU campus.SafeNet Wireless is the way to get online at VCU without those bulky network cables. This service provides the VCU community with a safe, encrypted online experience that applies a higher level of security to wireless computing
Free Internet Access Spots in Virginia
Bed & Breakfast shops in Virginia are common places where you can get free Wi Fi. Other places include fastfood restaurants like KFC and Mcdonalds, coffee houses, hotels and public libraries. If you want to find other free internet hot spots, you can drop by these areas:
- Bedford Area Welcome Center in Bedford
- Milano in Charlottesville
- Chesapeake Square Mall
- Bullets/Quarles Food Store in Front Royal
- The Talk of the Town in Lovettsville
Please keep in mind that this is far from a complete list of free internet wi-fi spots in Virginia. This is merely a shortlist to give you an idea of where to go or what to look for.