Drive I-64 from Arlington to Virginia Beach and you cross an invisible line near Williamsburg. North and west of it, the trucks outside new subdivisions say Verizon, and the question at the cookout is whether your building has Fios yet. Southeast of it, in Hampton Roads, the cable company is Cox, the default in Norfolk, Chesapeake and Newport News for a generation. Richmond sits in between, with Fios on many streets and Xfinity as the cable rival.
Our pick for most Virginia homes is Verizon Fios. It reaches more of the state than any other wired provider and it is fiber, and widest availability plus the best technology is exactly how we make this call. Where Fios has not reached your block, the best alternative is whichever cable company owns your region: Cox in Hampton Roads, Xfinity around D.C. and Richmond.
Which internet providers cover most of Virginia?
Fiber at 100/20 Mbps reaches a bit more than six in ten Virginia locations and cable about eight in ten.[1] Only two providers reach most of the state on their own: Verizon (counting Fios and 5G Home together) and T-Mobile. The rest are regional.
| Provider | Type | Where it's available | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Fios / 5G Home | Fiber (Fios); 5G fixed wireless elsewhere | Across most of Virginia | No annual contract[2] |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | 5G fixed wireless | Across most of Virginia | No annual contract[3] |
| AT&T Internet Air | 5G fixed wireless | In many areas | No annual contract[4] |
| Xfinity | Cable | In many areas | No annual contract[5] |
| Cox | Cable | In many areas | No annual contract[6] |
| Shentel (Glo Fiber) | Regional fiber | In some areas | Not stated |
| Brightspeed | Fiber where built, older DSL elsewhere | In some areas | Not stated |
Fios starts at $30 a month for 300 Mbps when you also have a Verizon phone plan, with Auto Pay required.[2] Cox's entry tier, Internet 100, is $30 a month for the first year for new customers, with no data caps and no contracts.[6] Xfinity's 300 Mbps plan is $45 a month, locked for five years, with unlimited data.[5] Satellite from Starlink, Hughesnet or Viasat is available almost everywhere in Virginia; Starlink starts at $55 a month.[7]
What is the best internet in Virginia Beach, Arlington and Richmond?
Virginia Beach is a fiber city, with fiber on roughly seven in ten streets and Cox cable on nine in ten.[1] Verizon Fios is the fiber here, so the choice is Fios versus Cox. Take Fios if your address has it; Cox is a solid second.
Chesapeake has the most fiber of the big Hampton Roads cities, with Fios at more than three-quarters of homes and Cox covering the rest. Norfolk is the weak spot: fiber reaches about six in ten addresses, Cox about eight in ten, and more households go without home internet than in neighboring cities. Newport News looks like Virginia Beach: Fios on most streets, Cox nearly everywhere.
Arlington is nearly all cable, with Xfinity on almost every block and Fios on about seven in ten. It also has the strongest 5G coverage of any large Virginia city, so T-Mobile and Verizon 5G Home are real options for renters.
Richmond is Xfinity's city for cable, and Fios reaches about two-thirds of homes. Searches for the best internet provider in Richmond usually come down to Fios at $30 with a phone plan versus Xfinity at $45 with the five-year lock.[2][5]
Is 5G home internet a good choice in Virginia?
In the cities, yes; in the countryside, less so. Licensed fixed wireless at 100/20 Mbps reaches a bit more than a third of Virginia locations, concentrated along I-95, I-64 and I-81.[1] T-Mobile's Rely plan is $50 a month with AutoPay, unlimited data and no annual contract.[3] Verizon 5G Home is $35 a month with a Verizon phone plan, with no annual contract or equipment charges.[2] AT&T has no fiber in Virginia; its product here is AT&T Internet Air, with unlimited data and no annual contract.[4]
Our rule of thumb: if Fios or cable is at your door, take the wire. Pick 5G for an Arlington or Richmond apartment, to skip the install appointment, or as a second line that does not share a pole with your cable.
What about the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia?
West of the Blue Ridge, the big names thin out. Shentel, based in Edinburg, is the regional company along I-81 and markets fiber as Glo Fiber in valley towns; it reaches some of the state.[1] Brightspeed holds the old CenturyLink copper in parts of the valley and Southside and has fiber where it has rebuilt. We could not retrieve plan details for either, so ask about price and term.
Farther southwest, in the coalfields, cable is spotty and the honest answer is often 5G or a county-backed fiber project built with an electric cooperative. Those builds do not always carry a familiar brand, so search your address on the FCC map before assuming satellite is the only option.
What should I ask before I sign up?
- What is the rate after the promotion? Cox's $30 Internet 100 price is good for one year; Xfinity's $45 is held for five.[6][5]
- Does the price depend on a phone plan? Verizon's $30 Fios and $35 5G Home prices do.[2]
- Are there data caps? Cox and Xfinity say no; T-Mobile and AT&T Internet Air say unlimited.[6][5][3][4]
- Is there an activation fee, and when is the install date? Cox lists an activation fee on top of the plan price.[6]
- If money is tight, ask Cox about Internet Assist at $15 a month for qualifying households.[6]
Frequently asked questions
Who has the best internet in Virginia?
Verizon Fios. It is fiber and it reaches more of Virginia than any other wired provider. Cox is the best choice in Hampton Roads where Fios is absent; Xfinity fills that role around D.C. and Richmond.
What is the fastest internet in Virginia?
Fios and Glo Fiber, since both are fiber to the house with equal upload and download. Cox and Xfinity cable are fast on downloads but slower on uploads; 5G trails both.
Is Cox available in Virginia?
Yes, in Hampton Roads: Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News and nearby cities. In Richmond and Arlington the cable company is Xfinity.
What is the cheapest internet in Virginia?
Verizon Fios at $30 a month with a Verizon phone plan and Cox Internet 100 at $30 a month for the first year are the lowest entry prices we verified.[2][6] Qualifying households can get Cox Internet Assist for $15.[6]
Sources
- FCC National Broadband Map, Broadband Data Collection. FCC National Broadband Map, Broadband Data Collection, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Verizon (Fios + 5G Home) home internet (official). Verizon, Home Internet, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet home internet (official). T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, Home Internet Plans, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- AT&T home internet (official). AT&T, Internet, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Xfinity home internet (official). Xfinity, Internet Service, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Cox home internet (official). Cox, Internet, accessed October 9, 2026. ↩
- Starlink home internet (official). Starlink, Residential, 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