Members of the military and veterans should aim to get a fiber or cable internet plan that delivers speeds of 300Mbps or faster and costs around $60 to $80 a month.
If you’re shopping for internet for your home near the military base, your internet connection is likely more for personal and entertainment purposes than military purposes—so the things you should consider are the same as everyone else. But you may also want to look for an internet provider that’s widely ailable nationwide to give you the flexibility to keep your account if you change deployments. And veterans in rural areas should also look for internet service with adequate data allotments (and ideally unlimited data).
Here’s a breakdown of what internet to look for if you’re in the military:
Aim for fast speeds at an affordable priceYou need enough bandwidth to cover Wi-Fi activities for you and anyone else in your household, and you also want a plan that meets your budget. A fiber or cable plan is best, but you probably don’t need gigabit speeds—unless you share your Wi-Fi with a lot of other roommates or family members. Run our speed test to see how fast your internet is right now, and see if you might need something with a little more oomph.
If you’re on base, you he one ISP to choose fromIf you’re active military and living in the barracks or the base, then you likely don’t need your own plan at all, as the military usually provides internet.
“For those living in military housing on base, there is usually a single internet provider ailable, and you either purchase a plan through them or you simply don't he broadband internet,” says Lauren Hannula, managing editor of the mobile reviews site WhistleOut, who is married to a captain in the Marine Corps.
That may sound limiting, but depending on the provider, you likely he some options—you can upgrade to a plan with faster speeds, or opt for a slower plan to se money. Of course, you can also use a hotspot to give you Wi-Fi over a cellular network if you’re not so keen on the internet ailable on base.
If you’re living off base, shop around to assess your optionsIf you’re living near the base or barracks, then you likely need to find your own internet. That’s what most people do: You can get a quick rundown of your internet options if you search your zip code below.
Find internet in your area.
So what are the most important considerations to make when looking for internet plans, if you’re in the military? Well, it largely depends on your specific needs. Think about whether you just want internet for basic web browsing, in which case you can get a relatively low-speed plan, or if you want to be able to stream multiple devices at a time, connect many smart home devices, and more—in which case a higher-speed plan is the way to go.
If you’re between deployments, oid bundles and aim for a widely ailable ISPHannula and her husband he lived in several states across the country, but she’s done her best to keep her AT&T Fiber plan. “AT&T has been excellent for us,” she says. “Moving my service from place to place has been hassle free, even when we needed to he a brand-new fiber line drilled and installed into our Texas house. The tech was in and out within half an hour, if that, and we were up and running.”
Internet providers aren’t ailable everywhere, but some cable and fiber internet providers he a large enough nationwide network that you can keep your account and simply transfer addresses once you move. It also helps to he a plan that doesn’t require an annual contract so if you do need to cancel, you’re not on the hook for early termination fees.
It’s worth considering how long your orders are, and whether or not you’re likely to move in the near future. If so, bundling home internet and mobile service may not be the best idea—if you move and find that your previous home internet provider isn’t ailable in your new location, it impacts your cellular service too.
Other internet providers with a wide reach are Spectrum, Xfinity, and T-Mobile 5G Home Internet.
You could even look into Optimum's low-income internet packages as one of the plans (starting as low as $14.99 per month) includes the qualification of receiving federal or state public assistance as a veteran.
Best widely ailable internet options ProviderPricesSpeedsView plans
$55.00–$225.00/mo.‡75–5,000MbpsView Plans
$39.99–$79.99/mo.300–1,000Mbps (wireless speeds may vary)^View Plans
$60.00/mo.†72–245MbpsView Plans
$14.95-$11575-2000 Mbps
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Offers and ailability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.
‡
Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited ailability. May not be ailable in your area.
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Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who he not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who he no outstanding obligation to Charter.
†
w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.
If you live in a rural area, get unlimited data
A quarter of U.S. military veterans live in rural parts of the United States. If you’re one of them, it’s entirely possible that you he limited options or no options at all among the traditional internet providers. Instead, consider a rural-focused internet provider like Rise Broadband or Starlink.
A lot of rural internet options he speed and data limits. “We’ve been looking for fast internet but can't find it—only 100Mbps [speeds],” says Juan Marin, a veteran for the U.S. Air Force who’s hing trouble finding an adequate internet provider in a rural part of Arizona where he’s about to move.
Starlink gets solid reviews for a satellite provider, but the Space-X service’s plans are fairly expensive, and you he to pay a hefty fee up front for equipment. A traditional DSL or fixed wireless provider like Rise Broadband may be a better bet because you get unlimited data and adequate speeds without hing to fork over $100+ a month.