Best Internet Providers in Wichita, Kansas

Wichita residents have benefited from a big upgrade to their internet options. Until recently, there was basically just Cox and a slew of slower options. But over the past few years, AT&T has significantly expanded its fiber service in the area. That’s good news if you find yourself within its recently expanded coverage area — AT&T is the best fiber provider in the country, according to our analysis.

In 2020, Wichita residents received an average download speed of 94Mbps (the number typically used when referring to internet speed); today, that number is up to 219Mbps, according to Ookla’s latest list of the cities with the fastest internet speed. That’s still behind neighboring metros Oklahoma City and Kansas City but good enough to rank above the national average for connection speed. Internet speed in Wichita may continue to increase as AT&T fulfills its plan to expand its fiber service to 10,000 more Wichita residents by the end of 2024, targeting multidwelling units. 

Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Wichita across a variety of categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.

Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data is variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider’s website. 

Note that the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Wichita. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might be available as well, for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a cellphone plan. 

To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Best internet options in Wichita

Wichita residents have several solid options, whether ultrafast gig speeds or inexpensive service is the priority. We think AT&T Fiber is the best option for most people, but Cox and T-Mobile are both solid backup options.

AT&T Fiber

Best overall internet provider in Wichita

Check availability

Product details

Price range

$55 – $180 per month

Speed range

300 – 5,000Mbps

Connection

Fiber

Highlights

Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

CNET’s pick for the best fiber internet provider in the US, AT&T, offers Wichita customers symmetrical upload and download speeds, no contracts and unlimited data. 

Availability: AT&T is available to approximately 77% of Wichita households, but some will have access only to AT&T’s slower DSL service. Fiber coverage is most prevalent in the city center and less common in neighborhoods on the outskirts, like Minneha, The Dell and Springdale, according to Federal Communications Commission mapping data.

Plans and pricing: AT&T Fiber offers its three flagship plans throughout most of Wichita. You can get 940 megabits per second for $80 per month, 500Mbps for $65 and 300Mbps for $55. Some addresses may have access to AT&T’s 2,000 and 5,000Mbps plans, which cost $110 and $180, respectively.

Fees and service details: AT&T offers unlimited data, discounted TV bundles and no equipment fees. There are no commitment requirements — even for higher-end tiers of service.

Read our AT&T home internet review.

Check AT&T Fiber availability

Cox

Best availability in Wichita

Check availability

Product details

Price range

$40 – $100 per month

Speed range

25 – 940Mbps

Connection

Mostly cable, some fiber

Highlights

1.25TB monthly data allowance, lots of plan options, unique gaming add-on

Cox Communications’ cable internet features fast speeds and extremely low prices for the first year or two of service; after that, the monthly price jumps by as much as $80 per month on some plans. The aggressive pricing comes with some potential drawbacks: Cox’s American Customer Satisfaction Index rating was below the industry average in 2023. According to J.D. Power, Cox also ranked below average for overall satisfaction in Wichita’s region. It’s also one of the few ISPs still including data caps on its internet plans. 

Availability: Cox is available almost everywhere in Wichita, with coverage extending to 99.6% of households in the city, according to FCC data.

Plans and pricing: Download speeds range from 100Mbps to 2,000Mbps. Monthly prices are between $60 and $110, but those costs increase significantly after the promotional period expires. Nailing down prices on Cox’s website is a head-spinning experience. Some Cox plans require a contract to get the best price. And the prices Cox shows include a $30 monthly discount for enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program, even though only low-income households qualify for the subsidy. So if you’re comparing Cox with other options, the price you see initially may not be what you’d see on your monthly bill. It’s worth a few extra minutes to dig into the fine print. 

Fees and service details: Cox includes free installation, free modem and router and discounted cable TV bundles. Cox is also one of the few ISPs to still have data caps. You’ll get 1.25TB per month on all plans — far more than the 514GB that the average household uses, but still something we’d rather not worry about.

Read our Cox home internet review.

Check Cox Communications availability

T-Mobile Home Internet

Best alternative to wired internet service in Wichita

Check availability

Product details

Price range

$50 per month ($30 for eligible T-Mobile Magenta Max customers)

Speed range

72 – 245Mbps

Connection

Fixed wireless

Highlights

Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

T-Mobile’s 5G home internet service had the highest rating of any nonfiber provider in the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2023 survey, and it’s a great choice for those living in Wichita. Still, the service isn’t as fast as fiber or cable, and speeds may slow during peak hours.

Availability: T-Mobile Home Internet is currently available to 82% of Wichita households; you’ll need to plug your address into T-Mobile’s site to determine if your address is eligible for service.

Plans and pricing: T-Mobile only has one plan, at $50 per month. Download speeds range between 72 and 245Mbps, and upload speeds are between 15 and 31Mbps. Those speeds align with other internet plans in the $50 price range.

Fees and service details: No contracts, installation fees or equipment rental charges exist. Additionally, promotional offers such as lower prices for certain T-Mobile phone customers, discounted streaming services and a money-back guarantee are available.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.

Check T-Mobile availability

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

What other internet options are there in Wichita?

Though we think the three picks highlighted above are the best internet providers in Wichita, you do have a few other options. 

• KwiKom: A local provider of internet, telephone and television services, KwiKom offers plans that are available to roughly 65% of Wichita residents. The company offers fixed wireless and fiber internet service, but you’ll have to fill out a request form to order fiber service, and there’s a hefty $95 installation fee. Monthly prices range from $55 to $105.
• Nextlink: Nextlink is another local provider that offers fixed wireless internet in Wichita. For most households, T-Mobile Home Internet is the faster and more affordable fixed wireless option.
• Satellite internet: Available almost everywhere in the country, satellite internet is usually what you get when you can’t get anything else. HughesNet offers slightly faster speeds than its main rival, Viasat, which offers higher monthly data caps. One intriguing satellite option is Starlink from SpaceX, which offers a respectable 67Mbps but requires a $599 upfront payment for equipment.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Though it’s available to only 18% of Wichita households, Verizon’s 5G Home Internet is a solid deal featuring unlimited data, no contracts, free equipment and a 50% discount for eligible Verizon Wireless customers. There are two plans available in most areas: $50 per month for download speeds up to 300Mbps and $70 for up to 1,000Mbps.

Wichita internet pricing

Residents of Wichita have a range of internet options for various budgets. The average starting price for internet in the city is $54 monthly, which is slightly higher than other cities CNET has analyzed thus far. T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet both have plans for $50 per month, but you can get a significant discount with both if you have an eligible cellular plan.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Wichita internet speeds

Residents of Wichita can access several multigigabit plans, which aren’t common across the country. Cox Communications offers cable internet speeds up to 2,000Mbps, while AT&T Fiber offers speeds up to 5,000Mbps in some city areas.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

What’s the final word on internet providers in Wichita?

Overall, Wichita residents have some excellent options to choose from for internet service. If you can get it, AT&T Fiber is the best provider in the area. While Cox offers comparable download speeds, its upload speeds are much lower, and you could be looking at dramatic price hikes after the promotional rate expires. T-Mobile Home Internet is another solid option at $50 per month if you don’t need particularly high speeds. 

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Wichita

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike with the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.

Because our database isn’t exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of our prepublication fact-check.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions: 

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying? 
3. Are customers happy with their service? 

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page. 

Wichita internet FAQs