Every spring a new wave of retirees lands in Mount Pleasant, Summerville and the Charleston peninsula, and the first question after the moving truck leaves is who to call for internet. The coast is unusual for the South: Xfinity, not Spectrum, is the cable company around Charleston, while Spectrum runs Columbia, Greenville and most of the Midlands and Upstate. Your street usually has one cable option plus AT&T.
Our pick for most South Carolina homes is AT&T Fiber. It reaches more homes than any wired rival, and where the fiber has been pulled it beats cable on upload speed. We rank on widest availability first, then technology, fiber ahead of cable, cable ahead of 5G, 5G ahead of satellite. When AT&T at your address turns out to be Internet Air (its fixed-wireless product), take the cable company instead.[1]
Which internet providers cover most of South Carolina?
Fiber at 100/20 Mbps now passes roughly six in ten South Carolina locations, and cable more than three in four. The FCC map shows four names with statewide weight: T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon 5G Home and Spectrum. Xfinity, Comporium, Horry Telephone Cooperative (HTC) and WOW! each serve some of the state.[1]
| Provider | Type | Where it's available | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Fiber, plus Internet Air fixed wireless | Across most of South Carolina | No annual contract[2] |
| Spectrum | Cable | Across most of South Carolina (Midlands, Upstate, Pee Dee) | Not stated[3] |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | 5G fixed wireless | Across most of South Carolina | No annual contract[4] |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | 5G fixed wireless | Across most of South Carolina | No annual contract[5] |
| Xfinity | Cable | In some areas (Charleston metro) | No annual contract[6] |
| Comporium | Regional telco | In some areas (Rock Hill and York County) | Not stated |
| HTC | Telephone cooperative | In some areas (Horry County and the Grand Strand) | Not stated |
Starlink, Hughesnet and Viasat are available almost everywhere and belong at the bottom of the list, a fallback for a Lake Marion cabin where the cable stops.[7]
What is the best internet in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville?
Charleston and Mount Pleasant. Both are cable-first markets led by Xfinity, which passes nearly every address. AT&T is the second wired name, with fiber at a little over half of Mount Pleasant homes and under half of Charleston proper. WOW! covers a slice of the peninsula. Call AT&T first, Xfinity second.[1]
North Charleston and Summerville. North Charleston is the most cable-dependent big city in the state, with fiber at only about a third of homes. Summerville flips to Spectrum territory, with AT&T Fiber at about half of homes and T-Mobile a strong third.
Columbia. Spectrum and AT&T both reach nine in ten addresses, and fiber is at about half. Two real wired options almost everywhere, with Verizon and T-Mobile as leverage.
Greenville and Greer. Greer is the one large city where fiber passes more homes than not, and Greenville is close behind. Spectrum is the cable company for both.
Rock Hill. Comporium reaches essentially every address and is the default wired choice; Spectrum barely registers inside the city limits.[1]
Is 5G home internet a good choice in South Carolina?
A sensible second choice and sometimes a first one. T-Mobile is the single widest-reaching provider in the state and Verizon is not far behind, but licensed fixed wireless at 100/20 Mbps covers only about four in ten locations. T-Mobile's Rely plan runs $50 a month with AutoPay, no annual contract, no data cap.[4] Verizon 5G Home is $35 a month with a Verizon phone plan.[5] AT&T Internet Air has unlimited data and no annual contract.[2]
Where it works: a Summerville rental, a Myrtle Beach condo you use six months a year, a Columbia apartment where you want to skip cable equipment fees. Where it struggles: a brick ranch on the far side of a tower. Run a speed test at 8 p.m. during the trial before you cancel the cable.
What if a hurricane knocks out service on the coast?
Hurricane season is the real test of a Lowcountry internet plan. Cable and fiber ride the same poles as the power lines, so when the lights go out the modem goes out too. Fiber has one advantage: the line carries no electricity, so a flooded junction does not short it. Cable amplifiers need power every few blocks, which is why Xfinity and Spectrum often come back a day or two after the power does.
Keep a 5G gateway or phone hotspot as a backup, because cell towers carry generator and battery backup that neighborhood cable boxes do not.[4] On the Grand Strand, ask neighbors how fast HTC came back after the last storm before choosing between it and a national name.
What should I ask before I sign up?
- What is the price in month 13? Xfinity's $45 rate holds five years for new customers; AT&T's $50 for 300 Mbps depends on autopay and paperless billing.[6][2]
- Is there a term agreement? AT&T, Xfinity, T-Mobile and Verizon say no annual contract; Spectrum's standard-plan terms were not on the page we could reach.[3]
- Is there a data cap? AT&T, Xfinity and T-Mobile say no.[2][6][4]
- Is there a monthly equipment fee on top of the advertised number?
- When is the install date, and is it a technician visit or a self-install kit?
- If you live here seasonally, can you pause service rather than cancel?
Frequently asked questions
Who has the best internet in South Carolina?
AT&T Fiber for most homes, because it reaches more addresses than any other wired provider and fiber beats cable for uploads. If AT&T only offers Internet Air at your house, Spectrum or Xfinity, depending on your side of the state, is the better everyday choice.
What is the fastest internet in South Carolina?
AT&T Fiber advertises plans up to 5 Gig, the fastest residential tier sold widely in the state.[2] Cable gigabit from Xfinity or Spectrum is fast downstream but much slower upstream.
Is Xfinity available in South Carolina?
Yes, but only in the Charleston region, including Mount Pleasant, North Charleston and Goose Creek. Columbia, Greenville and Summerville are Spectrum territory, and Rock Hill belongs to Comporium.[1]
What is the cheapest internet in South Carolina?
If your household qualifies, Spectrum Internet Assist is $25 a month for 50 Mbps with no contract.[3] Otherwise, AT&T Fiber plans start at $35 a month and Verizon 5G Home is $35 a month with a Verizon phone plan.[2][5]
Sources
- FCC National Broadband Map, Broadband Data Collection. FCC, National Broadband Map, Broadband Data Collection, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- AT&T home internet (official). AT&T, AT&T Internet and Fiber plans, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Spectrum home internet (official). Spectrum, Spectrum Internet Assist support article, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet (official). T-Mobile, 5G Home Internet plans, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Verizon 5G Home Internet (official). Verizon, Home internet plans, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Xfinity home internet (official). Xfinity, Xfinity Internet service, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Starlink Residential (official). Starlink, Residential service, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed; our data from FCC/Census as dated. FCC data as of December 30, 2025; Census ACS 5-year 2020-2024. Editorial policy