Best Internet Providers in Tulsa, Oklahoma – CNET

We can’t say the same about AT&T’s main competition in the area, Cox. It offers good speeds at reasonable prices, but it’s difficult to untangle all the discounts Cox adds to each plan — and to prepare for when they may abruptly end.

Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Tulsa across various categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers’ terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.

Our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider’s website. 

Note that the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider’s pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Tulsa. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month — a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might also be available for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a cellphone plan. 

To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Top internet providers in Tulsa

While AT&T Fiber is the clear top choice in Tulsa, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other decent options available. Some 41% of the city has access to fiber — the gold standard in home internet — and 99.8% can get at least 250 megabits per second download and 25Mbps upload speeds — more than enough for a typical home’s streaming and internet usage. In other words, almost everyone in Tulsa will be able to find an internet plan that meets their needs. 

Price range $55 – $180 per month Speed range 300 – 5,000Mbps Connection Fiber Key Info Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

If AT&T Fiber is available at your address, this is an easy choice. It offers symmetrical speeds on all its plans, ideal for households with multiple people gaming online or working from home. AT&T Fiber received the highest US internet provider score in the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index survey and J.D. Power named it the best provider in Oklahoma’s region. CNET also named it the best fiber internet provider in our analysis of the best internet providers across the country. It also delivers the fastest speeds in Tulsa, with an average of 249Mbps, according to Ookla speed tests. 

However, some addresses in Tulsa will only have access to AT&T’s slower DSL plans. If you put in your address on AT&T’s website and only see plans below 100Mbps, we recommend trying Cox or T-Mobile instead.

Availability: AT&T is available to 69% of Tulsa households, but some only have access to slower DSL plans. AT&T Fiber is widely available in neighborhoods south of downtown, around the University of Tulsa and in White City.

Plans and pricing: There are five AT&T Fiber plans in Tulsa: 300Mbps upload and download speed for $55 per month, 500Mbps for $65, 940Mbps for $80, 2,000Mbps for $110 and 5,000Mbps for $180. 

Fees and service details: What you see is what you get. Equipment is included in every plan at no extra cost, and your price won’t increase after the first year. You’ll also get a $100 or $150 reward card when you order online, and you can save an extra $20 each month when you bundle with an eligible AT&T Wireless plan.

Read our AT&T Internet review.

Check AT&T Fiber availability

Price range $40 – $100 per month Speed range 25 – 2,000Mbps Connection Mostly cable, some fiber Key Info 1.25TB monthly data allowance, lots of plan options, unique gaming add-on

Cox has cable and fiber internet plans in Tulsa that offer download speeds up to 1,000Mbps. While download and upload speeds are symmetrical on Cox’s fiber plans, its cable internet has much lower upload speeds, which could be a deal-breaker for households that do a lot of online gaming or videoconferencing. Cox also increases the prices on almost all of its plans and for features like equipment and unlimited data. Your bill could increase by as much as $114 overnight after two years.

All of that adds up to some frustration for Tulsa customers. Cox was among the lower-rated ISPs in Oklahoma’s region in J.D. Power’s survey, and Tulsa’s Reddit community contains frequent complaints about Cox’s performance issues and price increases. (“Anything besides Cox” was one answer to the “best internet provider in Tulsa” question.)

Availability: Cox is available almost everywhere in Tulsa, reaching more than 99% of households, according to FCC mapping data. 

Plans and pricing: Cox offers four cable plans in Tulsa: 100Mbps download/5Mbps upload for $50 per month, 250/10Mbps for $50 (increases to $70 after two years), 500/10Mbps for $60 ($90 after two years) and 1,000/35Mbps for $70 ($120 after two years). Its fiber plans are the exact same prices, but upload speeds are equal to download speeds.

Fees and service details: Cox includes its modem/router combo in all plans for the first 24 months; from there, you’ll have to pay $14 monthly or use your own equipment. (Equipment stays free on the 100Mbps plan after 24 months.) All Cox plans in Tulsa come with unlimited data for the first two years. After that, you can live with Cox’s 1.25TB data cap — enough to stream about 14 hours of HD TV each day — or pay $50 a month for unlimited data.

Read our Cox review.

Check Cox Communications availability

Price range $50 per month ($30 for eligible mobile customers) Speed range 72 – 245Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Key Info Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

T-Mobile is leading the charge for fixed wireless internet in Tulsa. According to the ACSI survey, it is the highest-rated non-fiber internet service provider in the country. 

Availability: 80% of Tulsa residents have access to T-Mobile’s home internet service, according to the FCC.

Plans and pricing: There’s only one T-Mobile Home Internet plan: $50 per month, including all equipment costs. You’ll get download speeds between 72Mbps and 245Mbps and upload speeds up to 31Mbps. 

Fees and service details: T-Mobile sends you a free self-installation kit when you order service, and there are no contracts, data caps or equipment fees.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.

Check T-Mobile availability

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Other available Tulsa residential internet providers

There’s a big step down from our top picks to most of the providers below, with the exception being Windstream’s Kinetic Fiber service. Consider these as the backup options if you can’t get service from AT&T Fiber, Cox or T-Mobile. 

• AtLink: AtLink is a local fixed wireless internet provider, with coverage reaching 12% of Tulsa households. AtLink doesn’t list speeds or prices on its website, so you’ll have to call to find out what plans are available at your address. We would only recommend it as an alternative to satellite internet. 
• The Junction Internet: Another local fixed wireless provider, The Junction Internet offers service to 66% of Tulsa households. Its plans start at $50 per month for 10/2Mbps speeds and go up to 50/10Mbps for $125. That’s a lot of money for not a lot of speed, and only worth considering as an alternative to satellite. 
• Satellite internet: We only recommend satellite internet if there aren’t any other options at your address. HughesNet and Viasat both offer low speeds, high equipment costs and stringent data caps. Starlink, a newer provider from SpaceX, delivers faster speeds and lower latency, but the equipment alone costs $599.
• US Cellular: US Cellular is available in 76% of Tulsa. Like T-Mobile, it uses cellphone towers to transmit data to your home wirelessly. US Cellular doesn’t list exact speeds on its website, but when we called to ask, a representative told us download speeds go up to 300Mbps in Tulsa, but that 80Mbps is a more realistic expectation. It does come with a low 600GB monthly data cap, but at $50 per month, US Cellular is worth considering as a backup to our top picks.
• Kinetic by Windstream: Windstream offers fiber, DSL and fixed wireless internet in the Tulsa area, but fiber is the only option that’s really worth considering. It offers 500Mbps upload and download speed for $40 per month ($65 in year two) or 1,000Mbps for $70 ($95 in year two) — a value that’s on par with AT&T Fiber. The only thing that keeps it from being one of our top picks is availability. Only 11% of Tulsa residents can get Windstream, and fiber coverage is limited to the Broken Arrow area.