Valrico's secret is out. It's a relaxed and family-oriented place to live near Tampa. The population has risen over the last couple of decades as new residents arrive to enjoy the suburban living and proximity to Tampa for commuting. Sure, traffic can be a bear, but Valrico's quiet style means you have plenty of reasons to kick back at home. For that, you'll want a strong, reliable internet connection.

There isn't a ton of competition among internet service providers in Valrico. Our top pick, Frontier, is your one option for fast fiber service. The company also has DSL coverage in some parts of town, but fiber is the way to go. 

Spectrum is the cable operator in the area and it delivers speeds close to a gigabit on the high end. Several competitors are in play for fixed wireless, with T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet leading the pack. Let's sort through the ISPs in Valrico so you can find the one that works best for you.

Best ISPs in Valrico

Our picks for top internet providers in Valrico are fiber from Frontier, cable from Spectrum or fixed wireless from T-Mobile. The trio represents a wide variety of technologies, speeds and plan options.

Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options -- including prices and speeds -- depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.

All available Valrico residential internet providers

Valrico residents have a line on solid, high-speed internet options across the entire area. We gave shout-outs to Frontier, Spectrum and T-Mobile Home Internet as top picks, but they're not the only ISPs around. Local ISP Rapid Systems and national competitor Verizon both offer fixed wireless in Valrico. Verizon, in particular, is worth a look, especially if you're an existing Verizon phone customer.

What other internet options are there in Valrico?

• Rapid Systems: Local fixed wireless provider Rapid Systems covers Hillsborough County, which includes Valrico. Prices start at $79 per month for 10Mbps service on up to $99 for 25Mbps. ISPs like Rapid typically focus on underserved and rural locations that may not have many internet options. Installation runs $149 and there are no data limits and no contracts. 
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Verizon 5G Home Internet has faster max speeds and a lower price (when bundled with an eligible phone plan) than T-Mobile, but availability around Valrico is limited. That's why T-Mobile edged out Verizon in our best list. Verizon's coverage map shows its fastest 5G Ultra Wideband network blankets Valrico. If fixed wireless is your thing, check to see if Verizon services your address. You may be in luck. Plans start at $50 per month, but bundling with an eligible phone plan drops that to $35.
• Satellite internet: With good fiber, cable and fixed wireless coverage across Valrico, you probably won't be tempted to go with pricey satellite internet from Starlink, Viasat or HughesNet instead. It's an option if you don't have a better choice, or if you're a seasoned traveler in need of Starlink's on-the-go plan.

Valrico broadband at a glance

When shopping for internet in Valrico, you likely have some specific requirements in mind. Perhaps you're prioritizing price or putting a premium on speed. Maybe you're after something that meets in the middle, like a fiber or cable plan that's both affordable and fast. Here's what you can expect for internet pricing and speeds in Valrico.

Valrico internet pricing

The starting price for internet service in Valrico is about $50 per month. All of the area ISPs offer a plan at around this price point. The difference is in the kind of technology and the speeds you get. Frontier's $50-per-month fiber plan for 500Mbps is one of the best deals when it comes to price and speed. For tight budgets, look to bundle a T-Mobile or Verizon phone plan with home internet or check into Spectrum's low-cost options.

Cheap internet options in the Valrico metro area

It's hard to find a cheaper internet plan than the Internet Assist offering from Spectrum. It costs $20 per month for 30Mbps service, but you must meet income eligibility requirements to qualify. Yes, that's slow in our age of broadband, but it's incredibly affordable and is serviceable for basic online needs. The next closest offerings are fixed wireless plans from T-Mobile or Verizon when bundled with an eligible phone plan. That brings T-Mobile down to $30 per month and Verizon to $25 per month.

Fastest internet providers in Valrico

Ookla's Speedtest service shows Valrico has some pretty peppy internet speeds. The median download speed for fixed internet is 322Mbps. That's thanks in part to Frontier and Spectrum's fast plans. Both offer reasonable deals in the 1,000 Mbps range, while Frontier kicks things up several notches with its maxed-out 5,000 Mbps offering.

If you have a hankering for face-melting internet speeds, your best bet in Valrico is to go with Frontier's Fiber 5 Gig plan for 5,000Mbps speeds, if it's available at your address. It will cost you a premium price of $130 per month, but it can make sense for residents with extreme demands or households with multiple heavy internet users. If that's a bit more than you need, then Frontier also has a 2,000Mbps plan for $100 per month. Learn about the best multigigabit internet plans you can get. 

What's the final word on internet providers in Valrico?

It's tough to beat Frontier's fiber offerings in Valrico. The speeds are fast and the pricing is competitive. The numbers look good, but there's a lingering ding against Frontier when it comes to the quality of its customer service. 

Frontier has made progress in improving its customer satisfaction ranking in recent years. Spectrum remains in play with affordable cable plans, though it can't match the upload speeds of fiber. T-Mobile and Verizon are worthy of consideration, especially if you're an existing phone customer of one or the other.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Valrico

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication. 

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions: 

• Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds? 
• Do customers get decent value for what they're paying? 
• Are customers happy with their service? 

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. 

To explore our process in more depth, visit our How We Test ISPs page.

Valrico internet FAQs