Cities With the Best WiFi Internet
It’s no great surprise that people using the Internet in more ways than ever before, with technology only increasing in capability.
As shown in the infographic below, more and more options for large-scale public Wi-Fi access are beginning to become available. California and Michigan are leading the way in deploying different types of free Wi-Fi options over large areas, but other states are catching up quickly.
Changes for Business
With people expecting to be able to access the Internet anywhere through any device, these changes mean a lot for businesses and advertisers. For example, businesses have many more options for reaching people through targeted advertising using newer and faster connection options.
Additionally, high-speed broadband Internet access is a key to allowing businesses to expand and grow. According to a survey of economic development organization professionals, having high-speed broadband options within a city or region is critical to drawing in new businesses and keeping them.
About 90% of the professionals surveyed say that a broadband speed of 25 to 50 megabits per second is a minimum requirement for attracting new business. Of those same professionals, about 25% say a broadband speed of 1,000 megabits per second will be the standard amount required soon.
Competition Among Cities
With the survey’s statistics in mind, it’s easy to see why cities and regions are competing to draw high-speed broadband options. For example, Kansas City was the first city to receive Google Fiber, which provides high-speed broadband Internet access.
At this time Google Fiber offers a $70 per month Internet fee for up to 1,000 megabits per second maximum upload and download speeds. There’s even a 5 megabits per second maximum download speed that is free from monthly charges, as long as you pay an installation fee.
As Kansas City has shown the benefits of making use of Google Fiber, other cities have begun to compete to also have an installation of the infrastructure required to use Google Fiber. Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, are now part of the Google Fiber network. Current Google Fiber expansion plans for high-speed broadband include the following nine American cities:
- Atlanta
- Charlotte
- Nashville
- Phoenix
- Portland
- Raleigh-Durham
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Jose
Beyond the cities with Google Fiber, some other cities that have the highest maximum download speeds through other Internet Service Providers include:
- Bristol, Va. 1000 megabits per second
- Chattanooga, Tenn. 1000 megabits per second
- Lafayette, La. 1000 megabits per second
- Los Angeles. 300 megabits per second
- New York City. 500 megabits per second
- Washington, D.C. 300 megabits per second
High Average Internet Speeds
And it’s not only important to see high maximum broadband speeds available from Internet Service Providers, but the average Internet speeds that can be achieved within an ISP’s network are important too. As the infographic shows, most of the fastest average Internet speeds in the United States are along the East Coast. The 10 fastest states for average Internet speed, in alphabetical order, are:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
More Changes on the Way
Don’t expect these various options to be the end, either. High-speed broadband Internet networking is only at the beginning stages.
You can expect more and more high-speed networks to appear, which should lead to more expansion of opportunities for businesses. And additional public Wi-Fi networks should piggyback off the high-speed broadband, leading to more options for businesses to connect with people anywhere and on any device.
It will be amazing to see what businesses can do over the next several years with this ever-growing connectivity!
Guest blog:
Felicity Dryer is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, California. Originally a health writer, she has begun to branch out into writing about technology, which has been a passion of hers since she was young. In her free time, she enjoys hosting game nights with her friends and spending her warm days on the beach.
