South Dakota is a co-op state. Drive out of Sioux Falls on Highway 42 and within twenty minutes the fiber under the shoulder belongs to a telephone cooperative your grandparents probably helped charter: Golden West west river, James Valley around Aberdeen, the city-owned telephone fund in Brookings. AT&T sells only its fixed-wireless Internet Air product here, no fiber at all.
Our pick for most South Dakota homes is Midco. It is the only provider whose network covers most of the state's addresses, and its cable (with fiber in newer builds) beats the 5G and satellite options that are the only other names with statewide reach. We rank on widest availability first, then technology, fiber over cable over 5G over satellite, which makes this pick a floor, not a ceiling.[1] If a co-op has strung fiber to your lot, take it.
Which internet providers cover most of South Dakota?
The surprise in the FCC data: fiber at 100/20 Mbps passes about two in three South Dakota locations, more than cable does. That is the co-ops' doing. Dozens of small companies each cover a county or two, so none shows up as a statewide name, yet together they have wired more of the prairie than Midco. CenturyLink, Clarity Telecom and Verizon each reach many areas; Golden West, BHT and LTD Broadband reach some.[1]
| Provider | Type | Where it's available | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midco | Cable, fiber in newer builds | Across most of South Dakota | Not stated |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | 5G fixed wireless | Across most of South Dakota | No annual contract[2] |
| CenturyLink | Mostly older DSL, fiber in limited spots | In many areas | No annual contract[3] |
| Verizon 5G Home Internet | 5G fixed wireless | In many areas | No annual contract[4] |
| Clarity Telecom | Regional wired provider | In many areas | Not stated |
| AT&T Internet Air | 5G fixed wireless | In many areas | No annual contract[5] |
| Golden West | Telephone cooperative | In some areas (west river, Black Hills fringe) | Not stated |
Starlink, Hughesnet and Viasat reach almost every address, and on a ranch between Philip and Faith they may be the only thing that does; Starlink starts at $55 a month.[6]
What is the best internet in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen?
Sioux Falls is a fiber city by a hair. Midco passes essentially every home, CenturyLink and Clarity Telecom overlap it on most streets, and fiber of one kind or another reaches more homes than not. Ask each one whether the line to your house is fiber or coax.
Rapid City is cable-first. Fiber reaches only about a third of homes, while Midco cable passes nearly all of them. Clarity Telecom and CenturyLink are the alternatives, BHT serves part of the city, and T-Mobile is the strongest 5G name west river.[1]
Aberdeen and Brookings are the fiber towns. In Aberdeen, James Valley Cooperative Telephone and Midco both reach nearly everyone, and fiber passes more than four in five homes. Brookings is a Mediacom town rather than a Midco one, and the City of Brookings Telephone Fund has fiber to the same share of homes.
Mitchell is the fiber leader outright: nearly every home has it. Watertown and Yankton are the opposite, cable-first with Midco near universal and fiber at roughly a quarter of homes. Watertown is also the one city where full-speed fixed wireless reaches practically every address, thanks to LTD Broadband.[1]
Is 5G home internet a good choice in South Dakota?
A better choice here than in most states, because the gap between cable and nothing is wider. Licensed fixed wireless at 100/20 Mbps covers just under half of South Dakota locations, and T-Mobile alone reaches most of the state's addresses, more than any wired company except Midco. The Rely plan is $50 a month with AutoPay, $35 with a T-Mobile phone line, no annual contract, no data cap.[2] Verizon 5G Home is $35 a month with a Verizon mobile plan.[4] AT&T Internet Air has unlimited data and no annual contract.[5]
The catch is weather and distance. Towers are spaced for highways, not section roads, and a gateway in Pierre can swing from excellent to poor as cell traffic changes. Take the trial and test at night.
Why do the co-ops have more fiber than the big companies?
Because a cooperative is owned by its customers, it can spend decades paying off a fiber line that a public company would never approve. The FCC map shows the result: a farmhouse outside Huron may have a better connection than a condo in Rapid City.
Two practical consequences. Outside a city, look up your county's cooperative before calling a national brand; the FCC map lists it under its formal name. And co-op pricing and terms are not on our fact sheet, so ask for the plan sheet in writing. Where a co-op and Midco overlap, the co-op usually wins on upload speed and the cable company on promotional pricing.
What should I ask before I sign up?
- What will the bill be after the promotional months, before or after autopay discounts? CenturyLink's $50 fiber rate requires paperless billing.[3]
- Is there a term commitment? T-Mobile, CenturyLink, Verizon and AT&T Internet Air say no annual contract.[2][3][4][5]
- Is there a monthly data limit? CenturyLink and T-Mobile say unlimited.[3][2]
- Does the modem or gateway cost extra each month?
- How long until a technician can come, and does winter push the date?
- For a co-op, is there a membership fee or capital credit?
Frequently asked questions
Who has the best internet in South Dakota?
Midco for most homes, because it is the only provider that covers most of the state with a wired network. Where a cooperative or municipal fiber line reaches your house, in Aberdeen, Brookings, Mitchell or the countryside, fiber is the better product.
What is the fastest internet in South Dakota?
Fiber from the local cooperatives and from Midco's fiber builds, with symmetrical upload and download. CenturyLink's fiber tops out at 940 Mbps where it exists, but most of its South Dakota footprint is older copper.[3]
Is AT&T Fiber available in South Dakota?
No. AT&T has no wireline network in South Dakota, so the AT&T on the FCC map is Internet Air, a 5G fixed-wireless service with unlimited data and no annual contract.[5]
What is the cheapest internet in South Dakota?
Among providers with published pricing, Verizon 5G Home at $35 a month with a Verizon phone plan and T-Mobile's $35 rate with a voice line are the lowest we found.[4][2] Co-op rates vary by county and were not on a page we could cite.
Sources
- FCC National Broadband Map, Broadband Data Collection. FCC, National Broadband Map, Broadband Data Collection, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet (official). T-Mobile, 5G Home Internet plans, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- CenturyLink home internet (official). CenturyLink, Internet service, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Verizon 5G Home Internet (official). Verizon, Home internet plans, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- AT&T Internet Air (official). AT&T, AT&T Internet and Internet Air, 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