Rural Alternatives to Fiber Optic Internet

Fiber optic Internet is routinely touted as one of the best types of Internet service on the market. Because of its high-tech wired connection, fiber optic Internet is one of the fastest, most reliable types of Internet service. However, not everyone in the country has the privilege of experiencing fiber optic Internet’s high download speeds and high-definition streaming. Only 25% of people in the United States have access to fiber optic Internet, as it is not available in every state.

Rural America is one of the regions where this discrepancy is even more apparent. Most towns in rural America do not have the proper infrastructure to support high-speed Internet for rural areas. This problem has become so prominent that the government has pledged billions of dollars to help improve rural regions’ infrastructure for broadband access. Despite these measures, progress has been slow and many residents are still looking for alternative rural Internet service providers.

One option that many rural residents rely on is dial-up Internet. While many urban and suburban residents see dial-up as inefficient and outdated, it is still higher in availability than cable or broadband Internet for rural communities. However, the criticisms of dial-up Internet are well-founded, as it performs poorly compared to other alternatives.

Other popular alternatives include satellite Internet providers such as Starlink and unlimited 4G rural Internet providers such as UbiFi. While satellite Internet providers have the edge when it comes to availability, 4G mobile Internet providers like UbiFi generally carry lower latency and are faster in cell tower hotspots. For this reason, UbiFi or other mobile Internet companies may be a better choice for rural residents looking for a good service for playing online games.