8 Best Internet Providers in Back Bay, Boston, MA

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Back Bay, Boston, MA for most people based on high speed internet coverage, speeds, and customer reviews. Click below to see all providers in your neighborhood.

All Providers

Speed and technology may vary by address for all providers. Please note we may have a financial relationship with some of the providers above, which does not impact the customer ratings displayed. Customer ratings listed above are national ratings, local Back Bay ratings may vary and are shown below.

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Who is the Best Internet Provider in Back Bay, Boston, MA?

AT&T is the best internet provider in Back Bay based on Boston customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, AT&T had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Back Bay, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. AT&T is an option for 98.44% of the neighborhood.

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Back Bay, Massachusetts, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Back Bay

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Back Bay Internet Providers

Based on 162 reviews from Boston internet customers, AT&T is the best internet service provider for Back Bay residents. AT&T was rated at an average of 4.67 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Starry wins for second-place in Boston, with 3.80 out of 5 stars and 88.7% coverage in Back Bay.

At a national level, based on 4270 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, Netafy is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 5.00 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Back Bay?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the neighborhood, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by AT&T. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, XFINITY from Comcast should have faster speeds at a local level. While we typically put more weight on real-world customer ratings, we display both satisfaction and technical maximum information for customers to decide for themselves.

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Back Bay

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	XFINITY from Comcast	2,000 Mbps
	Astound Broadband	1,500 Mbps
	Netafy	1,000 Mbps
	Verizon	1,000 Mbps
	EarthLink	940 Mbps
	Starry	800 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	AT&T	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Back Bay

Based on data reported by Back Bay ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the neighborhood are available through XFINITY from Comcast. The company offers speeds up to 2,000 Mbps in Back Bay. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 1,889 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

Additionally, actual customers in the neighborhood rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with AT&T. This indicates AT&T reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Back Bay?

Boston customers rate AT&T as the cheapest internet service provider in city. Data comes from customers in the city rating their satisfaction with pricing. This feedback is valuable because it considers price changes and whether the speeds paid for are worth it.

AT&T received a local rating of 5.00 out of 5, which is higher than the average across all internet providers in the country. Verizon is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Back Bay customers with an average price rating of 4.00 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Back Bay, Boston, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Back Bay

Back Bay Internet Health Assessment

ISP Reports evaluates the technological infrastructure across the United States. This includes assessing a grade for ISP providers and infrastructure in the neighborhood and setting an index number for the digital connectivity of its residents. You can view the ISP Report Card and the Digital Connectivity Index for Back Bay below, including the metrics used and how Back Bay compares to the rest of Boston and nation.

Back Bay ISP Report Card: B+

	Metric (hover for details)	Back Bay	Massachusetts	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Back Bay that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	85.30%	77.17%	67.25%
	Average Download SpeedThe maximum download speed most households can get on average. This is measured by availability in a block group and weighted by the population in that area.	1,906 Mbps	1,929 Mbps	3,293 Mbps
	Provider CountThe number of providers available for most people. This is a weighted average by block rather than a total for Back Bay.	8.4	6.1	6.8

 

Back Bay Digital Connectivity Index: 72 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Back Bay	Massachusetts	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a neighborhood indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	1.6	2.6	2.7
	Work From Home PercentA higher percent of the population working from home indicates bandwidth requirements being more widely needed rather than consolidated to commercial portions of the city.	26%	19%	14%
	Households with DevicesA higher percentage of households with computing devices in the home indicates a higher level of infrastructure needed to support those households.	96%	96%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	94%	93%	90%
	Households with BroadbandA higher percentage of households with a broadband connection (defined as speeds above 25 Mbps) indicates heavier usage needs within these households.	87%	83%	75%
	Broadband Usage vs. AvailabilityThis measures what percentage of households who have a broadband connection to their home actually have an active subscription to that service.	87%	85%	76%

Back Bay ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Back Bay is B+, which is much better than other neighborhoods. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Back Bay is high with a score of 72 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Back Bay have done a good job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Back Bay ISP Report Card evaluates the neighborhood on availability and speed metrics compared to other neighborhoods in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a neighborhood needs. Please see our ISP Report Card along with the Digital Connectivity Index above to evaluate how well the connectivity demand is met by the existing infrastructure.

94% of Back Bay households have an internet connection despite having 99.65% availability. 87% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 4% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 1% of households have internet but don’t pay for a subscription because it’s subsidized by the Affordable Connectivity Program.

As you can see in the table above, while 87% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 87% subscribe to it. A very large amount of Back Bay residents are taking advantage of the available internet infrastructure.

For more details, please visit our ISP Report Card and Digital Connectivity Index pages.

How do Neighboring Neighborhoods Compare to Back Bay?

How Much Speed does a Back Bay Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Back Bay is 1.6, which is smaller than the Boston average of 2.6 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Back Bay's average household income is $141,011 which is much higher than the Boston average of $125,213 and much higher than the national average of $90,606. Homes with fewer people living in them and with higher incomes tend to indicate a fairly average device usage pattern.

Back Bay also has 21% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is higher than the Boston average of 17%. Additionally, 26% of residents work from home, which is higher than the 19% of residents in Boston who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Back Bay has a very high need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Back Bay households are more technology-engaged. 96% of households have some sort of computing device, 92% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 95% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Back Bay?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Back Bay?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Back Bay?

According to the most recently submitted data by internet service providers to the FCC, there are currently no DSL providers available in Back Bay, Boston, MA.

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Back Bay?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Back Bay?

The right ISP for you depends upon your needs, but in general we can make the following suggestions:

• The best all-around internet service provider in Back Bay is AT&T.
• The fastest internet provider should be XFINITY from Comcast. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, AT&T may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Back Bay is AT&T.
• XFINITY from Comcast, Viasat, and HughesNet has the broadest coverage in Back Bay, and is most likely to cover your home. To find out exactly what's available at your home, please use our address search tool.

How does Back Bay compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Back Bay stacks up on the national level, it's useful to look at some other cities with similarly sized populations. Below you can see a list of these cities and how they compare to Back Bay's B+ ISP Report Card and 72 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.