If you’re searching for a new and more affordable way to stay connected or watch your favorite series, sports and movies, the good news is that there are more choices than ever. Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T now offer options from wireless 5G home internet to traditional fiber. There are also lower-cost brands that use those networks, plus independent providers such as EarthLink, US Mobile and Optimum.
In what’s known as Cord Cutting 2.0, millions are ditching the cable company entirely and pairing streaming TV with a different kind of internet connection. These consumers are combining streaming services with 5G home internet, fiber, satellite and other broadband options instead of automatically paying a traditional cable company for both their TV and internet.
In the first quarter of 2026, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon continued adding customers through fiber and 5G home internet while Comcast and Charter’s Spectrum brand lost a combined 185,000 broadband customers. As these options continue to expand across the country, more cord cutters are breaking free from the giants of the industry.
Here are some of the best options to consider when you are ready to cut the cable internet cord.
Verizon Has a Plan for Almost Every Kind of Cord Cutter
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Verizon 5G Home Internet starts at $35 per month with Auto Pay and an eligible Verizon mobile plan. More importantly, Verizon is promising a three-year price lock on its standard 5G Home plan. The company also includes the router and advertises all-in pricing without hidden equipment charges. It’s easy to set up and makes an interesting replacement for cable internet because you can get the service without having a physical cable connection running into your home.
Why Verizon stands out:
- Plans start at $35/month with eligible Verizon wireless service.
- Up to a five-year price lock on available plans.
- Router included.
- No annual contract.
- Unlimited data.
- Self-installation is available.
- Speeds depend on your location and network conditions.
For heavier users, Verizon’s 5G Home Ultimate plan is only $60/month with Auto Pay and Mobile plan discounts and comes with a five-year price lock, faster speeds, unlimited premium data, 4K streaming and Whole-Home Wi-Fi. The offer also featues a $10 on Us perk on eligible add-ons, including HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu & ESPN+.
New customers who choose eligible 5G Home Ultimate service can get NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube for the 2026 season, worth up to $480, or $400 off select Samsung products with qualifying purchases. Verizon also lists a $200 Amazon gift card on select plans.
Verizon Fios
When fiber is available, Verizon Fios is another great choice for a household with heavy streaming, gaming or work-from-home needs.
Verizon’s Fios lineup currently starts at $20 per month for 300 Mbps for new customers, with the router included and a three-year price lock on that plan. Higher-speed plans have longer price guarantees, including a four-year lock on 500 Mbps and a five-year lock on the top Fios tier.
Why Fios is worth considering:
- Fiber-optic connection.
- Speeds up to 5 Gig in eligible areas.
- Fast upload speeds compared with traditional cable.
- Router included.
- No data caps.
- Long-term price guarantees.
This is the better fit if you have a house full of connected devices and want the performance of a wired fiber connection rather than relying on a cellular signal.
Frontier Fiber
The Verizon-backed Frontier is another major option for people looking to leave cable behind, and its current promotion is particularly aggressive.
Right now, new customers can get one month of 1 Gig Fiber for $0, followed by $64.99 per month with a five-year price guarantee. Frontier says there are no contracts or hidden fees, and the offer includes free installation and Whole-Home Wi-Fi.
Frontier is also leaning heavily into streaming and sports perks.
Current Frontier Fiber highlights:
- First month of 1 Gig service free.
- Then $64.99/month with a five-year price guarantee.
- Free installation on the eligible offer.
- Whole-Home Wi-Fi included.
- NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube included with qualifying 1 Gig-and-faster plans.
- Or choose $400 off select Samsung products instead.
For a cord cutter, getting gigabit fiber and NFL Sunday Ticket in the same promotion makes Frontier one of the more compelling offers to check.
Straight Talk Home Internet
Straight Talk is another way to get Verizon-powered home internet without going directly through Verizon. Straight Talk’s 5G Home Internet service is built around a simple idea: connect a gateway to Verizon’s network and use it as your home Wi-Fi connection.
The standard price is $45 per month, while eligible customers can lower that to $35 per month when they bundle with a qualifying Straight Talk Gold or Platinum Unlimited plan. There is also a one-time $69.99 router purchase associated with the service.
Straight Talk also gives existing customers another route to savings. Eligible phone customers can save $15 per month on qualifying Verizon Fios or Frontier fiber service when they link the services.
If you’re looking for an alternative to Verizon’s main plans, Straight Talk is worth checking even if you ultimately decide fiber is a better fit than 5G.
Total Wireless
Total Wireless is another Verizon-owned prepaid brand with a home internet option. Its current offer includes a free month of 5G Home Internet and a 5G router for $14.99 when bundled with a qualifying phone plan.
For people already using Total Wireless, that bundle can make the transition away from cable even cheaper. And the company is also promoting discounts on fiber. Like the other Verizon services, eligible Total Wireless customers can get $15 off per month on qualifying Fios or Frontier Fiber service when they combine their services.
Total Wirless makes it simple, as you can keep your wireless and home internet bills under one roof without necessarily paying Verizon’s traditional postpaid prices.
Visible Home Internet
Visible takes a similar approach, but with an even simpler monthly price. The Verizon-backed service is currently offering two months of 5G Home Internet for $50 when you add it to your Visible mobile plan with a one-time gateway purchase ($50). This offer is available for existing Visible mobile members and new Home Internet lines.
After the intro offer, new customers pay as low as $49 per month when using the code SAVE6. There is no contract, no monthly provider fee, and no data cap.
For fiber internet, you can bundle Visible with Fios Home Internet or Frontier Fiber and receive $15 off the home internet bill each month.
Visible’s biggest selling points:
- $50 for two months
- Unlimited data.
- No contract.
- No monthly provider fee.
- Typical downloads of 85-165 Mbps.
- Uses Verizon’s network.
Visible is an especially interesting option for someone who already uses Visible for wireless and simply wants to add home internet without bringing another major bill into the picture.
T-Mobile Wants Your Phone and Your Wi-Fi Bill
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
T-Mobile has set itself apart in the race to turn 5G home internet into a mainstream alternative to cable. The company is known to have the fastest network and massive perks for its members.
T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet lineup starts at $35 per month with Auto Pay and a qualifying T-Mobile voice line, and eligible plans come with a five-year price guarantee. Plus, the company is offering a “Month on Us” and up to $200 back on select plans for new customers. The service includes unlimited data and a high-performance gateway, while T-Mobile also promotes perks through T-Mobile Tuesdays.
Like other services on our list, T-Mobile’s fixed-wireless service can generally be installed without running new cable or fiber to the home, making it an appealing alternative for renters and people in areas where fiber is unavailable.
T-Mobile Fiber
With T-Mobile Fiber, the company has grown beyond wireless internet.
T-Mobile Fiber currently advertises 2 months free on qualifying new Fiber service. The company says the offer applies to new 1 Gig or faster plans and that service automatically renews at the regular rate after the promotional period. The company is also advertising $100 back on qualifying 2 Gig orders placed by August 31, 2026, with installation by September 30, 2026.
Pricing varies by market, but T-Mobile currently lists a 1 Gig plan at $70 per month before applicable discounts, while Fiber plans include a five-year price guarantee. T-Mobile describes the network as 100% fiber, with symmetrical upload and download speeds and no data caps.
That is an important distinction. T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet is designed to replace a cable connection without running a wire into the home, while T-Mobile Fiber competes more directly with the fastest cable and fiber plans.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile gives customers another path to use T-Mobile’s home internet through MINTernet.
Mint currently offers 12 months of MINTernet for $540 upfront, equivalent to $45 per month, when paid annually. Mint also says customers can save another $10 per month on home internet when they add an eligible Mint phone plan.
The annual-payment model is the big difference here. Instead of paying a monthly bill, you pay for the service upfront and then have internet for the year. Mint says MINTernet is delivered over a 5G cellular network and comes with a loaned gateway.
For people who hate promotional pricing and want to budget their internet bill once a year, it is an alternative worth taking a look at.
Metro by T-Mobile
Metro by T-Mobile has its own T-Mobile-powered home internet deal.
New customers who sign up for a Metro voice plan and 5G Home Internet can pay $50 for the first month and $45 per month with Auto Pay after that. Metro also features a 5-year price guarantee, no credit check, no deposit, a 14-day trial period, and up to $750 to buy out your current internet contract via a virtual Mastercard after your third monthly payment.
Metro’s home internet offer is especially interesting for people who already use prepaid wireless service and don’t need the additional features of a traditional postpaid T-Mobile plan.
AT&T Brings Fiber and 5G to the Cable-Free Fight
AT&T has adjusted to the market much like Verizon and T-Mobile, with both fiber and wireless service.
AT&T Fiber
AT&T’s current bundle promotion is one of the most aggressive fiber offers of the three major carriers:
- AT&T Fiber Internet: New customers can get 1 Gig AT&T Fiber for $30 per month for the first 12 months when they bundle the service with an eligible unlimited wireless plan. AT&T is also advertising a $200 reward card with the offer.
- AT&T’s fiber network offers speeds up to 5 Gig, and the company says fiber customers can also get internet backup when they combine eligible AT&T Fiber and wireless service.
For cord cutters, AT&T Fiber has straightforward appeal because you can replace your cable company with fiber while putting your phone and home internet on the same account.
AT&T Internet Air
AT&T Internet Air is the company’s answer to Verizon and T-Mobile’s fixed-wireless offerings. The service uses AT&T’s 5G network to deliver internet to a gateway inside the home rather than relying on a traditional cable line. AT&T says Internet Air is designed for streaming, gaming, remote work and everyday browsing, with unlimited data and no annual contract or equipment rental fee.
When combined with an eligible AT&T wireless plan, AT&T Internet Air can cost as little as $35 per month.
That makes Internet Air one of the more appealing options for people who want to leave Xfinity or Spectrum but don’t have fiber available at their address.
The Wild Cards Worth Checking Before You Pick a Big Carrier
The big three telecom companies get most of the attention, but they are not the only game in town. Several smaller providers are taking a different approach to home internet, and one of them is particularly unusual. The big three telecom companies get most of the attention, but they are not the only game in town. Several smaller providers are taking a different approach to home internet, and one of them is particularly unusual.
US Mobile via Starlink
US Mobile has traditionally been known as a wireless carrier, but it now offers home internet through Starlink while giving customers access to all three major U.S. cellular networks for mobile service.
Starlink’s coverage makes it an attractive option since it can reach homes where fiber and cable may never arrive, particularly in rural areas. Instead of relying on a nearby cable line or cellular tower, the service connects to satellites.
US Mobile and Starlink are not necessarily the cheapest option on this list, but they could be one of the most useful for someone who lives outside a traditional broadband footprint. It also creates an unusual combination, as one company can handle your wireless service across all three major cellular networks, while Starlink handles the connection at home.
EarthLink
EarthLink remains a wildcard because it offers several types of internet access instead of forcing everyone onto a single network technology.
Its Pure Fiber service currently starts at $24.95 per month, with 100% fiber from the network to the home, symmetrical upload and download speeds, and no data caps. Pricing and availability vary by market.
Earthlink’s Wireless 5G Home Internet currently starts at $59.95 per month and is designed to be self-installed, has no annual contract, and uses nearby cellular networks instead of a traditional cable connection.
That makes EarthLink worth checking when you are frustrated with the options available from the biggest providers. In some markets, it can give you a fiber option; in others, it can provide wireless internet where running a traditional cable connection may be difficult.
Optimum
Optimum is the one provider on this list that can blur the line between traditional cable internet and the newer broadband market.
The company currently advertises internet starting at $30 per month with an eligible $10 Auto Pay and paperless billing discount, with a five-year price lock on all internet plans. Optimum says its fiber-powered service is built for streaming, gaming, and video calls, and it does not impose data caps on its current internet lineup.
Optimum is also pushing bundles. Customers who combine internet with mobile or TV can save up to $30 per month and receive up to a $200 prepaid card on qualifying bundles.
For a cord cutter who wants predictable pricing but still needs fast wired internet, that five-year price guarantee may be more important than the difference between Optimum and another provider’s introductory rate.
The New Cable Cut Is Your Internet Connection
The first wave of cord cutting was about getting rid of cable TV, and the second wave is increasingly about getting rid of the cable company altogether.
The difference matters because your streaming services do not care whether your internet comes from Comcast, Charter, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or someone else. HBO Max, Paramount+, Sling, Starz, ESPN, Crunchyroll, and live TV streaming services all run over the same internet connection.
That creates an opportunity for consumers to shop for internet based on price, speed, coverage, and flexibility instead of simply taking whatever broadband provider happens to own the cable running down the street. And the biggest decision is usually between 5G, fiber and satellite.
5G home internet is attractive because it can be installed quickly and does not require a wired connection into the home. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and several of their prepaid brands are now competing directly with cable on price and flexibility.
Fiber is the better choice for households that need maximum performance, particularly for multiple simultaneous streams, gaming, large uploads and demanding work-from-home setups. Verizon Fios, AT&T Fiber, T-Mobile Fiber, Frontier Fiber and EarthLink all have fiber offerings in at least some markets.
Satellite remains the wildcard. For people in areas without cable, fiber or reliable 5G, US Mobile’s Starlink offering shows just how much the definition of home internet is changing.
The most important step before canceling your current provider is to check your address. Availability, speeds, pricing and promotional eligibility can vary significantly by location, even within the same city. But for the first time in years, a cable company is no longer the automatic answer when someone asks, “Who should I get my home internet from?”
That may be the biggest change brought by Cord Cutting 2.0.
