Best Internet Providers in Nelson, MN
All 7 providers, ranked by coverage, speed and customer ratings
Find internet availability by address in Nelson, MN
Nelson has 7 internet service providers, they are sorted by coverage, available speed, and customer rating from our unbiased internet provider report. Cable, Fiber, DSL, and Fixed Wireless internet are available in the city. Reviews are grouped by provider and the type of service they offer, covering all 4 available internet technologies in Nelson.
Ranks compare Nelson with the 31,388 US places under 1,000 people, the tiers of our fastest-cities rankings.
The Best Internet in Nelson, MN at a Glance
Nelson Internet Providers, Ranked by Coverage, Speed and Customer Ratings
CenturyLink
Connection
Customer Rating
DSL
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association
Connection
Customer Rating
Fiber
Fixed Wireless
Arvig
Connection
Customer Rating
Fiber
DSL
GigFire
Connection
Customer Rating
Fixed Wireless
Providers with less than 1% coverage in this city are excluded from the list. To see if one of these providers is available at your home, please use the address search above.
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 Nelson ratings may vary and are shown below.
Who is the Best Internet Provider in Nelson, MN?
T-Mobile Home Internet is the best internet provider in Nelson based on Minnesota customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, T-Mobile Home Internet had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Nelson, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. T-Mobile Home Internet is an option for 96.26% of the city.
Click here to get T-Mobile Home Internet
or call 1-833-601-2935
Which Providers are Available at my Home in Nelson?
Coverage changes block by block. Pick a provider and a technology to see where its service reaches: the darker the area, the larger the share of homes it covers. For your exact address, use the address search above.
Coverage map for each provider in Nelson
- Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association - fiber coverage map
- Verizon - fixed wireless coverage map
- GigFire - fixed wireless coverage map
- Arvig - fiber coverage map
- Spectrum - cable coverage map
- CenturyLink - dsl coverage map
- T-Mobile Home Internet - fixed wireless coverage map
- Arvig - dsl coverage map
- Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association - fixed wireless coverage map
How Nelson Compares to Places Its Size
Nelson's report card score is in the bottom 50% and its connectivity index is in the top 31%.
| Measure | Nelson | Rank among US places under 1,000 people | Douglas County | Minnesota | US | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISP Report Card inputs: what providers offer here | ||||||
| Fiber availability | 78.1% | top 48% | 68.0% | 68.5% | 71.5% | 6,946 places at 100.0% |
| Average top speed | 825 Mbps | bottom 30% | 960 Mbps | 2,819 Mbps | 3,486 Mbps | Fairmount, TN and Falling Water, TN and 5 more (25,000 Mbps) |
| Providers at a typical address | 5.1 | top 33% | 5.1 | 6.7 | 7.1 | Los Prados, PR (15.1) |
| Connectivity index inputs: how much households need and use the internet | ||||||
| People per household | 2.5 | top 40% | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.7 | Paguate, NM (13.4) |
| Workers who work from home | 9% | top 47% | 12% | 18% | 15% | Boys Town, NE (100%) |
| Homes with a computer, tablet or phone | 94% | top 39% | 95% | 96% | 96% | 1,494 places at 100% |
| Homes with internet | 89% | top 34% | 90% | 92% | 91% | 370 places at 100% |
| Homes on fiber, cable or DSL | 69% | top 27% | 73% | 77% | 76% | 23 places at 100% |
| More about the households here | ||||||
| Homes with a desktop or laptop | 77% | top 34% | 78% | 83% | 81% | 72 places at 100% |
| Median household income | $81,578 | top 30% | $80,568 | $99,636 | $93,246 | 22 places at $250,001 |
| Residents in school (6th grade to college) | 12% | top 44% | 12% | 16% | 16% | University at Buffalo, NY (100%) |
Fiber reaches 78.1% of homes in Nelson, against 68.0% across Douglas County and 68.5% across Minnesota. Households in Nelson are smaller than the US average (2.5 people against 2.7); 9% of workers work from home (US 15%); and the median household income is $81,578 (US $93,246).
Our demographic data is sourced from the latest 5-year release of the American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau.
Fiber, 5G, Cable and DSL Internet in Nelson
Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Nelson?
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association Fiber in Nelson, MN
Availability:
78.1%
Customer Rating:
(0)
Avg. Download Speed
1,000 Mbps
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association offers Fiber service to 78.1% of Nelson homes. Across the city, Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association Fiber has speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
Arvig Fiber in Nelson, MN
Availability:
10.0%
Customer Rating:
(1)
Avg. Download Speed
1,000 Mbps
Arvig offers Fiber service to 10.0% of Nelson homes. Across the city, Arvig Fiber has speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Nelson?
GigFire Fixed Wireless in Nelson, MN
Availability:
100.0%
Customer Rating:
(1)
Avg. Download Speed
150 Mbps
GigFire offers Fixed Wireless service to 100.0% of Nelson homes. Across the city, GigFire Fixed Wireless is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 150 Mbps
T-Mobile Home Internet Fixed Wireless in Nelson, MN
Availability:
96.3%
Customer Rating:
(342)
Avg. Download Speed
33 Mbps
T-Mobile Home Internet offers Fixed Wireless service to 96.3% of Nelson homes. Across the city, T-Mobile Home Internet Fixed Wireless is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 33 Mbps, with speeds from 25 Mpbs up to 100 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 3.0 and as high as 20, with an average of 4.8 Mbps throughout the city.
Verizon Fixed Wireless in Nelson, MN
Availability:
88.8%
Customer Rating:
(362)
Avg. Download Speed
185 Mbps
Verizon offers Fixed Wireless service to 88.8% of Nelson homes. Across the city, Verizon Fixed Wireless is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 185 Mbps, with speeds from 25 Mpbs up to 300 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 6.0 and as high as 20, with an average of 14 Mbps throughout the city.
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association Fixed Wireless in Nelson, MN
Availability:
20.4%
Customer Rating:
(0)
Avg. Download Speed
10 Mbps
Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association offers Fixed Wireless service to 20.4% of Nelson homes. Across the city, Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association Fixed Wireless has speeds up to 10 Mbps
Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Nelson?
Spectrum Cable in Nelson, MN
Availability:
4.5%
Customer Rating:
(1739)
Avg. Download Speed
1,000 Mbps
Spectrum offers Cable service to 4.5% of Nelson homes. Across the city, Spectrum Cable is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 1,000 Mbps
Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Nelson?
CenturyLink DSL in Nelson, MN
Availability:
82.0%
Customer Rating:
(120)
Avg. Download Speed
41 Mbps
CenturyLink offers DSL service to 82.0% of Nelson homes. Across the city, CenturyLink DSL is the only type of service available from the company, with speeds up to 41 Mbps, with speeds from 10 Mpbs up to 100 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 1.0 and as high as 10, with an average of 4.3 Mbps throughout the city.
Arvig DSL in Nelson, MN
Availability:
29.0%
Customer Rating:
(0)
Avg. Download Speed
14 Mbps
Arvig offers DSL service to 29.0% of Nelson homes. Across the city, Arvig DSL has speeds up to 14 Mbps, with speeds from 10 Mpbs up to 25 Mbps depending on the address. Upload speeds differ from download speeds, and are as low 1.0 and as high as 3.0, with an average of 1.5 Mbps throughout the city.
Internet in Nelson by Neighborhood and ZIP Code
Nelson has 1 ZIP code with its own page. Each row links to that place’s page.
Neighborhoods in Nelson
| Neighborhood | People | Homes with fiber | Average top speed | Providers at a typical address | Report card | Connectivity |
|---|
ZIP codes in Nelson
| ZIP code | People | Homes with fiber | Average top speed | Providers at a typical address | Report card | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56355 | 624 | 86.9% | 891 Mbps | 4.8 | C | 51/100 |
How Nelson Compares to Nearby Places
The 10 places nearest to Nelson that have their own pages are all within 13 miles. Among them, Forada has the most homes with fiber (100.0%) and West Union the fewest (29.8%); Nelson has 78.1%.
| Place | People | Homes with fiber | Average top speed | Providers at a typical address | Report card | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson (this page) | 828 | 78.1% | 825 Mbps | 5.1 | C | 50/100 |
| Alexandria | 23,953 | 58.7% | 1,019 Mbps | 5.6 | C | 54/100 |
| Osakis | 3,485 | 86.2% | 899 Mbps | 5.5 | C+ | 38/100 |
| Carlos | 1,882 | 75.5% | 873 Mbps | 5 | C | 43/100 |
| Garfield | 1,555 | 88.2% | 898 Mbps | 2.7 | C- | 55/100 |
| Miltona | 1,347 | 31.2% | 376 Mbps | 2.6 | D | 48/100 |
| West Union | 1,193 | 29.8% | 702 Mbps | 5.9 | C- | 37/100 |
| Forada | 1,040 | 100.0% | 1,094 Mbps | 5.5 | B | 53/100 |
| Gutches Grove | 985 | 54.6% | 654 Mbps | 4.9 | C- | 33/100 |
| Villard | 766 | 95.4% | 961 Mbps | 4.3 | C+ | 35/100 |
| Spruce Center | 224 | 45.5% | 471 Mbps | 1.8 | D | 48/100 |
Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Nelson?
According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by CenturyLink. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association 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 Nelson
| Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association | 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Arvig | 1,000 |
| Spectrum | 1,000 |
| Verizon | 300 |
| GigFire | 150 |
| Viasat | 100 |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | 100 |
| CenturyLink | 100 |
| HughesNet | 25 |
How fast is your internet?
Test your connection here and see it next to the speeds providers advertise in Nelson. It takes about 20 seconds and, on a fast line, can move a few hundred MB of data.
Customer Ratings for Nelson Internet Providers
Based on 37 reviews from Minnesota internet customers, T-Mobile Home Internet is the best internet service provider for Nelson residents. T-Mobile Home Internet was rated at an average of 4.50 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. CenturyLink wins for second-place in Minnesota, with 3.67 out of 5 stars and 82.0% coverage in Nelson.
At a national level, based on 3293 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, T-Mobile Home Internet is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 4.02 out of 5.
Local, State, and National Ratings for all Nelson Internet Providers
The table below shows average customer ratings from customers in Nelson, Minnesota, and customers throughout the country.
| ISP / Tech Type | Nelson Overall | Minnesota Overall | National Overall | For Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile Home Internet | (0) |  (4) | (342) | View Plans | ||
| Arvig | (0) | (2) | (2) | View Plans | ||
| CenturyLink | (0) | (12) | (183) | View Plans | ||
| HughesNet | (0) | (1) |  (25) | View Plans | ||
| Spectrum | (0) | (11) | (1949) | View Plans | ||
| GigFire | (0) | (1) | (1) | View Plans | ||
| Verizon | (0) | (7) | (816) | View Plans | ||
| Viasat | (0) | (0) |  (12) | View Plans | ||
| Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association | (0) | (0) | (0) | View Plans |
Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Nelson
Based on data reported by Nelson ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the city are available through Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association. The company offers speeds up to 1,000 Mbps in Nelson. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 932 Mbps if they’re willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.
However, actual customers rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with CenturyLink. This indicates CenturyLink reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.
| ISP / Tech Type | Nelson Speed | Minnesota Speed | National Speed | For Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arvig | (0) |  (2) | (2) | View Plans | ||
| CenturyLink | (0) | (12) | (183) | View Plans | ||
| T-Mobile Home Internet | (0) | (4) | (342) | View Plans | ||
| HughesNet | (0) | (1) | (25) | View Plans | ||
| Spectrum | (0) | (11) | (1949) | View Plans | ||
| Verizon | (0) | (7) | (816) | View Plans | ||
| GigFire | (0) |  (1) | (1) | View Plans | ||
| Viasat | (0) | (0) | (12) | View Plans | ||
| Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association | (0) | (0) | (0) | View Plans |
Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Nelson?
Of the providers in Nelson, customers rate T-Mobile Home Internet the best for price. Data comes from customers rating their satisfaction with pricing: in Nelson where enough of them have reviewed a provider, otherwise across Minnesota or the country. This feedback is valuable because it considers price changes and whether the speeds paid for are worth it.
T-Mobile Home Internet is rated 4.75 out of 5 for price, which is higher than the average across all internet providers in the country. Arvig is rated second for affordability, with an average price rating of 5.00 out of 5.
The table below shows how customers in Nelson, Minnesota, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.
Rated Affordability in Nelson
| ISP / Tech Type | Nelson Affordability | Minnesota Affordability | National Affordability | For Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile Home Internet | (0) | (4) | (342) | View Plans | ||
| Arvig | (0) | (2) | (2) | View Plans | ||
| GigFire | (0) | (1) | (1) | View Plans | ||
| HughesNet | (0) | (1) | (25) | View Plans | ||
| Verizon | (0) | (7) | (816) | View Plans | ||
| CenturyLink | (0) | (12) | (183) | View Plans | ||
| Spectrum | (0) | (11) | (1949) | View Plans | ||
| Viasat | (0) | (0) | (12) | View Plans | ||
| Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association | (0) | (0) | (0) | View Plans |
Customer Reviews for Internet Service Providers in Minnesota
Customer Reviews
A St. Paul, MN Customer
Verizon Fixed Wireless
June 06, 2026 A Minneapolis, MN Customer
CenturyLink Fiber
May 16, 2026 A Newfolden, MN Customer
Wiktel Fiber
May 09, 2026 A Burnsville, MN Customer
XFINITY Cable
April 15, 2026 I am currently on a promotional rate at $58/month. In a few months, I expect Xfinity to raise my rate significantly, in which case I will be extremely unsatisfied. Currently I am very happy with my rate and I get quality internet in return. I have had very few outages and have not even needed to reach out to customer support in the 20 months that I have been a customer.
Scott G
XFINITY Cable
April 13, 2026 I've had some frustration with Comcast in terms of their pricing. I've been a customer for about five years and they regularly raise their rates. As far as I can tell, these rate changes happen arbitrarily and without notice. Though the service has been good and consistent, I feel like they're just incrementally up-charging their customers. They likely feel they can get away with it since there are not many other competing internet providers in the area, and the one who do exist don't have the same infrastructure as Comcast does.
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Which ISP Should You Choose in Nelson?
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 Nelson is T-Mobile Home Internet.
- The fastest internet provider should be Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, CenturyLink may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
- The most affordable internet provider in Nelson is T-Mobile Home Internet.
- Viasat, HughesNet, and GigFire has the broadest coverage in Nelson, available to 100.0% of homes, and is most likely to cover your home. To find out exactly what’s available at your home, please use our address search tool.