How many internet providers are there in Los Angeles?

There are six primary internet providers in Los Angeles: Spectrum, AT&T, Frontier, Sonic, Cox cable, and Starry Internet. Each of these companies has at least 1% coverage in LA. The majority of households in Los Angeles only have access to Spectrum cable and AT&T fiber or DSL. There are 13 smaller network footprints within LA city limits, primarily from enterprise service providers like One Ring Networks.

Does Los Angeles have a municipal broadband provider?

The greater Los Angeles area has several municipal broadband providers : Culver Connect, Santa Monica CityNet, Burbank Water & Power, and the city of Pasadena. However, these all are only used for anchor institutions like schools, or limited to enterprise and business use — primarily through leasing of dark fiber. The only residential municipal broadband network in the LA area is Beverly Hills Fiber, which is scheduled to be lit in 2021.

What is the average internet speed in Los Angeles?

According to ConnectCalifornia analysis of public speed test records, the average internet speed test in Los Angeles in 2020 was 50 Mbps. The most common entry-level internet speed in Los Angeles is 200 Mbps, although the advertised speed is rarely realized on consumer devices when WiFi and network load are taken into account.

How do homeless persons in Los Angeles access the internet?

49% of homeless persons in Los Angeles primarily access the internet via smartphone, usually with limited data plans from programs like Lifeline. The remainder either do not have internet access at all, or only get on sporadically using public terminals such as those in the local library system.

Los Angeles Internet Access Fact Sheet

Los Angeles has 6 primary residential internet service providers within city limits. Spectrum and AT&T are the market incumbents, while smaller providers like Sonic.net and Starry Internet compete as local alternatives.

Primary internet service providers in Los Angeles

Provider brand name	Primary, secondary network type	Primary network coverage	Secondary network coverage	Maximum download	Maximum upload
Charter Communications (Spectrum)	Cable, Fiber	98.98%	7.92%	940 Mbps	35 Mbps
AT&T California	DSL, Fiber	80.10%	21.32%	1000 Mbps	1000 Mbps
Frontier Communications Corporation	DSL, Fiber	19.96%	9.55%	100 Mbps	100 Mbps
Sonic.net	DSL	8.52%		80 Mbps	20 Mbps
Cox Communications	Cable	1.17%		1000 Mbps	35 Mbps
Starry Internet	Fixed Wireless, Fiber	26.65%	0.0001%	200 Mbps	200 Mbps

This table represents the majority of "incumbent" internet service providers currently registered within Los Angeles city limits, according to analysis of the FCC's most recent Form 477 data release on the industry.

Spectrum and AT&T are the primary players in the Los Angeles broadband market, with both networks reaching well over 90% of buildings in the LA area.

Frontier operates out of a DSL network within Los Angeles, as well as selling fiber over their "Fios" FTTH (Fiber to the Home) network, which they purchased from Verizon in 2016.

2016 was an eventful year for network ownership in Los Angeles, as Time Warner Cable also left the market, having sold their entire cable network to Charter Communications. All Time Warner Cable branding has been replaced with Charter Communications' residential internet service product, Spectrum, as of 2020.

50 Mbps is the median average download speed recorded on California residential internet connections in 2020

66.5% of Los Angeles has access to fiber-optic internet service

$38.9 million Cost for construction of municipal fiber in Beverly Hills 2019–2021

49% of homeless in LA access internet via mobile smartphone

Spectrum and AT&T are the most common internet providers available to Los Angeles residents

99.9% of California households have at least 1 Mbps mobile LTE coverage

Los Angeles Consumer Guides

Telecom pricing structures are actively designed to ensure that consumers pay more than they need to due to misunderstanding what they're buying. Our guides for the Los Angeles area help non-techies make informed decisions when seeking better internet service options.

Alternatives to Spectrum Cable Internet in Los Angeles

AT&T is the most common Spectrum alternative in Los Angeles, with fiber-to-the-home service in around 30% of LA. Smaller ISPs like Starry, Sonic, Earthlink, and Verizon 5G are also available locally.

AT&T Internet Deals and Promotions in Los Angeles

AT&T plans in Los Angeles include a mix of fiber-backed DSL and fiber options, depending on service location.

Internet Service Options in Koreatown: A Local Guide

Koreatown has two primary ISPs: Spectrum and AT&T. As of 2020 fiber service is not available for most of the neighorhood.

Internet Service Providers in Echo Park

Echo Park has two primary internet providers: ATT and Spectrum. ATT has fiber service in the neighborhood as of 2020.

Internet Service Options in Silverlake: A Local Guide

Silverlake has two internet options worth considering: AT&T Fiber and Spectrum Cable. As of 2020 fiber service is available for most of the neighborhood.

Internet Service Providers in Atwater Village

Atwater Village has two main internet choices: Spectrum cable and AT&T Fiber. AT&T Fiber is available to around half the neighborhood, while Spectrum has 100% coverage locally.

Internet Service Providers in Hollywood

The Hollywood neighborhood in Los Angeles has two internet providers with widespread coverage: Spectrum and AT&T. Sonic, Earthlink, and Starry Internet also service the neighborhood.

Internet Service Providers in Los Feliz

Los Feliz has two primary internet service providers: Spectrum cable and AT&T. Starry, Sonic, and Earthlink are the alternatives in the neighborhood.

Low Income Internet Programs For Los Angeles Residents

Low income internet service is available from all major incumbent internet providers in Los Angeles with prices from $10–30 per month, including Spectrum, AT&T, and Frontier.

Spectrum Internet Deals and Promotions in Los Angeles

Spectrum plans in Los Angeles are part of their upgraded service area, meaning you can get twice the speed on base plans in addition to low-cost TV bundles.

Starry Internet: A New WiFi Deal for Los Angeles

Starry Internet has been offering $50/mo internet in Los Angeles since 2018, and currently serves locations in neighborhoods like Koreatown and West Hollywood as well as apartment buildings in Glendale, Santa Monica, and Downtown.

The Digital Divide in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is dynamic, diverse, and well-known for gaps between the "haves" and the "have-nots." Internet access in Los Angeles is no exception, with fiber predominently built out to wealthy neighborhoods like Silverlake, West Hollywood, and Laurel Canyon. Neighborhoods with lower median incomes like Koreatown and Boyle Heights are more commonly left with cable from Spectrum as the only residential internet option above 100 Mbps.

The city of Beverly Hills is finishing construction of a municipal broadband network that will offer low-cost fiber service to homeowners in the neighborhood later in 2020.

Major speed test sources like Measurement Labs and Speedtest.net record Los Angeles at an average internet speed range of 50–90 Mbps. Introductory plans are generally in the 100–200 Mbps download speed range.

Since most fiber service in Los Angeles is from telecom companies like AT&T and Frontier rather than overbuilders, the majority of buildings only have two wired internet options. However, some startup internet providers like Starry have begun to offer attractive wireless alternatives as of 2020.

Internet Infrastructure in Los Angeles

Network technology	Population covered	Coverage percent
Cable	3640707	99.97%
DSL	3609230	99.11%
Fiber	2422473	66.52%
Fixed Wireless	2973101	81.64%

The table above shows percent coverage of each major network type in Los Angeles according to the latest FCC Form 477 data release (2020).

Note that due to over-reporting by providers, coverage at the building level is not as robust as this data presents. Fixed wireless service from providers like Starry Internet, in particular, has much lower coverage than it appears based on FCC data sources — which are currently the only public source of national broadband data.

Business internet services in Los Angeles

The greater Los Angeles area has several business centers including business districts in Pasadena, Culver City, and Playa Vista. However, most large tech headquarters are in "Silicon Beach," an area on the West Side of LA in Santa Monica and Venice Beach that features major headquarters like Google and Snapchat.

Tech companies are drawn to Silicon Beach, in part, by the infrastructure and broadband access. Aside from being a major data center location and cable landing site, Silicon Beach also is one of 7 locations in California with municipal broadband services for enterprises, including dark fiber availability and low-cost high-quality fiber connectivity from Santa Monica CityNet.

Secondary internet service providers in Los Angeles

The following providers have registered minor internet coverage areas within Los Angeles city limits, all below 1% local coverage.

CenturyLink enterprise, One Ring Networks, and several other major enterprise telecom providers are active in Silicon Beach and Los Angeles generally, making it the second-most popular location for startups and tech companies in California.

Provider brand name	Primary, secondary network type	Primary network coverage	Secondary network coverage	Maximum download	Maximum upload
Comcast	Cable	0.3119		987	35
Consolidated Smart Broadband Systems, LLC	Cable, Fiber	0.3982	0.2012	500	50
Mediacom California LLC	Cable	0.0015		100	10
ONE Burbank	Fiber	0.0125		1000	1000
Google Fiber California, LLC	Fiber	0.0048		1000	1000
Race Communications	Fiber	0.1775		1000	1000
Antelecom Inc.	Fixed Wireless	0.2646		12	3
Ind-Co Cable TV Inc.	Fixed Wireless	0.0018		3	1
LV.Net	Fixed Wireless	0.0003		50	10
Ranch Wifi, LLC	Fixed Wireless	0.0026		10	5
Sky Fiber Internet	Fixed Wireless	0.0041		100	100
GeoLinks	Fixed Wireless	0.5918		1000	1000
Webpass, Inc.	Fixed Wireless	0.0222		500	500
One Ring Networks	Fixed Wireless, Fiber	0.3019	0.0126	200	200

Data Sources & Citations

FCC Reports and Research
Beverly Hills Fiber
No digital divide? Technology use among homeless adults, Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless
NTIA: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
FCC Form 477 Fixed Broadband Deployment Data
Telegeography: a Division of PriMetrica, Inc.
Measurement Lab: Open Internet Measurement

Page Summary

Los Angeles has 6 primary residential internet providers and 14 minor providers with less than 1% local coverage. Spectrum and AT&T are the largest providers locally.
67% of Los Angeles has access to fiber internet service, with AT&T and Frontier having the largest residential fiber networks.

Author

Jameson Zimmer
Broadband Market Analyst
Author Bio →

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Last Update: February 06, 2021
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