Delaware internet: fiber in the north, one wire in the south
Fiber is available at 59.2% of the 410,285 homes and businesses the FCC counts in Delaware, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 97.9%. 57.0% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 40.9% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
South region, South Atlantic division
Nearly every Delaware home and business can get wired internet at 100/20 Mbps, but what kind of wire depends on the county. Fiber covers almost all of New Castle County, while in Sussex County most locations have a single wired provider, usually cable. DSL has dropped out of the state's filings entirely, and the BEAD plan covers only 4,7392 locations.
Verizon, Xfinity and who else reports service
As of June 30, 2026 (FCC revision of November 10, 2026), the FCC counts 410,285 broadband serviceable locations in Delaware: houses, apartment buildings and small businesses. Two networks cover most of them. Verizon reports service at 84.1%, through fiber at 55.0% of locations plus 5G home internet elsewhere, and advertises up to 2.3 Gbps. Xfinity, Comcast's cable network, reports service at 79.7%1 and offers 100/20 Mbps at every location it covers.
| Verizon | Fiber Licensed wireless | 84.1% | 68.3% | 2.3 Gbps | 2.4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Fiber Cable | 79.7% | 79.7% | 2 Gbps | 29.9% |
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 74.8% | 26.2% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Bloosurf LLC | Fiber Licensed wireless Fixed wireless | 37.9% | 3.9% | 1 Gbps | – |
| AT&T | Licensed wireless | 37.5% | 8.5% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Mediacom | Fiber Cable | 14.7% | 14.7% | 5 Gbps | 8.2% |
| Breezeline | Cable | 4.4% | 4.4% | 2 Gbps | 0.3% |
| Shentel (Glo Fiber) | Fiber | 1.7% | 1.7% | 8 Gbps | – |
| IQ Fiber | Fiber | 0.9% | 0.9% | 5 Gbps | – |
| Talkie Communications Inc | Fiber | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 Gbps | 0.0% |
| Choptank Fiber, LLC | Fiber | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.5 Gbps | 0.0% |
| ResiBridge LLC | Fiber | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100 Mbps | – |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of the area's broadband serviceable locations where the provider reports service as of June 30, 2026. "Only wired option" is the share of locations where it is the single wired provider at 100/20 Mbps. Provider-reported and challengeable; speeds are advertised maximums, not measured; no prices. Satellite providers (HughesNet, Starlink) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
The rest of the wired map is regional. Mediacom, the third cable company, reaches 14.7% of the state's locations. Breezeline's cable reaches 4.4%, and two newer fiber builders, Glo Fiber (1.7%) and IQ Fiber (0.9%), have small footprints so far. In total 9 companies report residential fiber somewhere in Delaware, a count that ranks tied for 4th lowest1 among the states. Optimum also files Lightpath fiber in the state, but for business customers only, so it is not counted on this page.
"Available" in these figures means a provider reports that it could connect the location within ten business days. Listings can be challenged on the FCC's National Broadband Map.
New Castle has fiber; Sussex mostly has cable
Statewide, fiber reaches 59.2% of locations, the 17th lowest share among the states and a little below the national 62.6%1. The state figure averages two different places.
| Area | Locations (BSLs) | Fiber available | Cable available | One wired choice | Two or more wired choices | Gigabit (1,000/100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County, Delaware | 188,670 | 91.5% | 96.0% | 10.3% | 89.4% | 78.9% |
| Kent County, Delaware | 71,004 | 46.5% | 93.4% | 51.8% | 44.1% | 67.9% |
| Sussex County, Delaware | 150,611 | 24.7% | 89.8% | 73.9% | 22.6% | 49.7% |
| Delaware | 410,285 | 59.2% | 93.3% | 40.9% | 57.0% | 66.3% |
| United States | 115,784,915 | 62.6% | 80.3% | 36.6% | 55.6% | 72.3% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
In New Castle County, the northern county around Wilmington, fiber is reported at 91.5% of locations and Verizon at 97.0%. In Kent County, in the middle, it reaches 46.5%. In Sussex County, which holds 150,611 locations including the beach towns, fiber reaches 24.7%; Verizon still reports service at 72.0% of Sussex locations, but offers 100/20 Mbps at only 10.7%1, because much of that footprint is fixed wireless rather than fiber.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| County | Fiber available |
|---|---|
| New Castle County | 91.5% |
| Kent County | 46.5% |
| Sussex County | 24.7% |
Sussex is also where most new locations appear. Since June 2022 the FCC's count of Sussex locations has changed by +17,340, out of +24,749 statewide, through new construction and corrections. Fiber's share there rose by 10.2 percentage points over four years; Kent's rose by 15.9 percentage points1, the most of the three.
In the south, one wire is the rule
Wired service at 100/20 Mbps is close to universal: 97.9% of locations, a share that ranks 7th highest among the states. Choice between wired providers is not. Statewide, 57.0% of locations have two or more wired providers at that speed, close to the national 55.6%, and 40.9%1 have exactly one.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Different wired providers (fiber, cable or DSL; FCC provider IDs) reporting 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up or more at the same location. Fixed wireless and satellite are not counted.
Show the numbers
| Area | None | One | Two | Three or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 2.1% | 40.9% | 55.2% | 1.8% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
The county split repeats here. In New Castle, 89.4% of locations can choose between at least two wired providers, usually Verizon and Xfinity. In Sussex, 73.9% have only one, and only 22.6% have two or more. Xfinity is the sole wired 100/20 provider at 29.9% of Delaware's locations and Mediacom at 8.2%; Verizon is the only one at just 2.4%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| County | Two or more wired choices |
|---|---|
| New Castle County | 89.4% |
| Kent County | 44.1% |
| Sussex County | 22.6% |
Two fiber networks overlap at only 1.4% of locations, a share that ranks tied for 5th lowest1 among the states; for a household, a second fiber network is close to nonexistent in Delaware. Where a Delaware location has two wired choices, at least one of them is almost always a cable network.
DSL is gone from the filings, and "gigabit" changed meaning
In the first National Broadband Map, as of June 30, 2022, DSL was reported at 27.1%4 of Delaware locations. By June 2026 the figure was 0.0%, with 0 locations left, a share tied for the lowest among the states; nationally DSL is still reported at 36.2%. Wired 100/20 coverage did not fall with it: it rose by 4.4 percentage points1 over the same four years.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Shares of broadband serviceable locations in each FCC release (latest revision of each); the small number is the change in percentage points since June 30, 2022. The FCC's count of locations is updated with each release, so shares are compared rather than counts.
Show the numbers
| Measure | June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2025 | June 30, 2026 | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSL available | 27.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | −27.1 pts |
| Fiber available | 49.2% | 57.9% | 59.2% | 9.9 pts |
| Gigabit (1,000/100) | 0.0% | 60.1% | 66.3% | 66.3 pts |
| Wired 100/100 Mbps | 49.2% | 73.8% | 77.3% | 28.1 pts |
| Two or more wired choices | 48.7% | 55.5% | 57.0% | 8.3 pts |
The gigabit figure moved the most. Under the FCC's 1,000/100 Mbps benchmark, gigabit service was reported at 0.0% of Delaware locations in 2022, even though a 1 Gbps download was advertised at 91.1%: none of the offers on file combined a 1,000 Mbps download with a 100 Mbps upload. By 2026 the benchmark was met at 66.3%, a rise of 66.3 percentage points that ranks 5th highest among the states. Wired symmetrical service of at least 100/100 Mbps rose from 49.2%4 to 77.3%1.
The fastest advertised tiers shifted with it. In 2022 the top offer at 93.5%4 of locations was between 940 Mbps and 2 Gbps; by 2026, 66.2%1 had an advertised tier of 2 Gbps or more.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Maximum advertised download speed (Mbps) of any wired or fixed wireless offer at the location, as reported by providers to the FCC; satellite excluded. Advertised, not measured.
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| Area | Under 25 Mbps or none | 25–99 | 100–249 | 250–499 | 500–939 | 940–1,999 | 2,000 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 0.3% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 31.6% | 66.2% |
| United States | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 31.0% | 61.0% |
Fiber itself grew more slowly than in most states, by 10.0 percentage points against 25.4 percentage points nationally, a change that ranks 4th lowest1. Delaware started from a high base: 49.2% in 2022, when the national share was 37.2%4.
5G home internet: wide reach, lower speeds
Licensed fixed wireless, which includes the 5G home internet services of T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T, is reported at 91.8% of locations, the 7th highest share among the states. Far fewer of its offers reach the 100/20 benchmark: licensed fixed wireless reaches 100/20 Mbps at only 37.7% of locations. T-Mobile and AT&T each advertise a maximum of 100 Mbps download. Bloosurf, a regional fixed wireless provider, reports service at 37.9%1 of locations, most of it below 100/20.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of broadband serviceable locations where at least one provider reports the technology, at any speed; a location can have several. Satellite is reported almost everywhere and is left out.
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| Technology | Delaware | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 59.2% | 62.6% |
| Cable | 93.3% | 80.3% |
| DSL (copper) | 0.0% | 36.2% |
| Licensed fixed wireless (incl. 5G home) | 91.8% | 87.3% |
| Unlicensed fixed wireless | 5.9% | 19.7% |
At 3,151 locations (0.8%), fixed wireless is the only way to get 100/20 Mbps. Satellite is the only reported option at 487; the highest satellite-only share is in Kent County, 0.3%1.
A small BEAD plan, with most of the money unassigned
Delaware's plan under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is one of the smallest: $13.5 million of BEAD money for 4,739 locations, $2,852 each (5th lowest among the state plans), with the providers adding $75.0 million2, more than five times the public share. The allocation itself, $107.7 million, ranks 2nd lowest6.
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. Locations in the state's approved BEAD Final Proposal by technology of the selected projects, as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview; subject to NTIA and NIST final review and award.
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| Technology | Share of BEAD locations |
|---|---|
| Fiber | 81.3% |
| Cable | 18.7% |
| Fixed wireless | 0.0% |
| Low-Earth-orbit satellite | 0.0% |
3,855 of the plan's locations (81.3%) are to get fiber and the remaining 18.7% cable; no location was assigned to satellite or fixed wireless. That leaves $94.2 million2 of the allocation outside the construction plan. The Delaware Broadband Office publishes the awards.
The Treasury's Capital Projects Fund allocated Delaware $112.8 million7, more than its BEAD allocation. Separately, USAC records 239 locations built with Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support, with $5,320,3878 disbursed.
| Program | Amount | As of |
|---|---|---|
| BEAD allocation (NTIA, announced June 26, 2023) | $107,748,385 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: locations to be connected | 4,739 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: deployment cost | $13,516,741 | |
| BEAD cost per location | $2,852 | |
| BEAD allocation not assigned to deployment | $94,231,644 | |
| Treasury Capital Projects Fund allocation | $112,839,386 | |
| RDOF: locations built with support (cumulative) | 239 | |
| Lifeline subscribers claimed | 258 | |
| Lifeline participation rate | 8.1% | |
| Households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, February 2024 | 52,446 |
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs; Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data; Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; USAC, Lifeline participation rate; USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024. BEAD figures are as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview, subject to final review; "not assigned to deployment" is the allocation minus the deployment cost (NTIA calls it savings; how it may be used is not settled). The ACP stopped taking applications on February 8, 2024 and ended on June 1, 2024.
Subscriptions: high, and higher than in 2019
The Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey found 95.2% of Delaware households with a broadband subscription of any kind (margin of error ±0.7 percentage points), tied for 4th highest among the states; the 2019 survey put it at 88.8%. The share of households with no internet subscription at all fell from 11.1%13 in 2019 to 4.8% (margin ±0.7 percentage points12). These are survey estimates of households, a different unit from the FCC's locations.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables. Availability is a share of locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC); subscriptions are a share of households from the American Community Survey, 2025 (whiskers: 90% margin of error). Different units and dates: read the gap as a sign, not an exact number.
Show the numbers
| Measure | Share | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations) | 97.9% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 79.1% | ±1.4 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 13.5% | ±1.1 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 4.8% | ±0.7 |
Subscriptions to cable, fiber or DSL stood at 79.1%, and 13.5% relied only on a cellular data plan. Among households earning under $20,000 a year, 85.7% subscribed (margin ±5.2 percentage points), against 98.2%12 of those earning $75,000 or more. When the Affordable Connectivity Program stopped enrolling in February 2024 it had 52,44611 Delaware households, about 13.0 per 100 households14; it ended on June 1, 2024.
All three counties
| Kent County | 71,004 | 46.5% | 95.9% | 44.1% | 0.6% | Xfinity | 73.3% ±1.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 188,670 | 91.5% | 99.7% | 89.4% | 0.1% | Verizon | 83.9% ±0.6 |
| Sussex County | 150,611 | 24.7% | 96.5% | 22.6% | 0.8% | Bloosurf LLC | 74.1% ±1.1 |
| Delaware | 410,285 | 59.2% | 97.9% | 57.0% | 0.4% | 79.4% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables. Shares of broadband serviceable locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC). 2+ wired choices: two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps. Unserved: BEAD definition. Largest wired provider: reports fiber, cable or DSL at the most locations. Wired subscription: households with a cable, fiber or DSL subscription, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (± 90% margin of error).
Delaware has no city of 100,000 or more. Its cities and towns are listed below.
| Wilmington | 73,512 | 74.0% | 88.8% | 74.0% | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 40,592 | 92.2% | 96.9% | 92.0% | 1 |
| Newark | 30,359 | 96.1% | 98.9% | 95.7% | 2 |
| Middletown | 25,798 | 98.5% | 16.3% | 82.4% | 2 |
| Milford | 14,723 | 0.0% | 80.9% | 0.0% | – |
| Smyrna | 13,340 | 43.1% | 39.8% | 43.2% | 1 |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files. Shares of broadband serviceable locations inside city limits (2020 census blocks), as of June 30, 2026. Population: July 1, 2025 estimate. Gigabit: 1,000/100 Mbps.
Delaware internet questions
What internet providers are available in Delaware?
Leaving out the three satellite services, the largest by reported reach are Verizon (84.1% of locations, fiber and licensed fixed wireless), Xfinity (79.7%, fiber and cable), T-Mobile (74.8%, 5G home internet) and Bloosurf LLC (37.9%, fixed wireless). Mediacom (14.7%) and Breezeline (4.4%1) are the other cable networks. Figures are as of June 30, 2026.
Is fiber internet available in Delaware?
At 59.2% of the state's homes and businesses, as of June 30, 2026. Coverage is uneven: 91.5% in New Castle County, 46.5% in Kent and 24.7%1 in Sussex. For a single address, search the FCC's National Broadband Map, which lists every provider reporting service there.
How many Delaware homes lack broadband?
Only 1,804 homes and businesses (0.4%) had no reliable wired or licensed fixed wireless service of 25/3 Mbps as of June 30, 2026, and 4,4321 more had reliable service below 100/20. The state's BEAD plan funds 4,7392 locations drawn from both groups.
What is the cheapest internet in Delaware?
Neither the FCC map nor any other official source publishes Delaware prices; compare the broadband facts labels that each provider must show for every plan. Low-income households can apply for the federal Lifeline discount of $9.25 a month, which USAC estimates only 8.1%10 of eligible Delaware households receive.
Checking one address in Delaware
The figures on this page describe the whole area. Which providers report service at a single home or apartment is shown only on the FCC's own map: search the address at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. If a provider is listed there but cannot actually connect you within ten business days, or the location is missing or misplaced, the map has a button to file a challenge; providers must respond, and corrections flow into later releases. Prices and plans are not part of the FCC data: each provider must show them on its broadband facts label at the point of sale.
More on internet in and around Delaware
Neighboring states: Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Put Delaware side by side with any state or large city in the comparison tool.
| Ranking | Value | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber internet availability by state | 59.2% | 35th of 51 |
| Internet speed by state: where gigabit service is offered | 66.3% | 38th of 51 |
| Broadband coverage by state | 97.9% | 7th of 51 |
| Internet provider competition by state | 57.0% | 20th of 51 |
| Unserved and underserved broadband locations by state | 0.4% | 47th of 51 |
| Where fiber has grown since 2022 | 10.0% | 48th of 51 |
| 5G home internet and licensed fixed wireless by state | 91.8% | 7th of 51 |
| Households with an internet subscription by state | 95.2% | tied 4th of 51 |
| BEAD broadband funding by state | 2,852.0% | 46th of 50 |
Sources
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Availability as of June 30, 2026; released November 10, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. www2.census.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; Availability as of June 30, 2022; released May 10, 2024. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; Availability as of December 31, 2025; released November 3, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; Allocations announced 2023-06-26; released June 26, 2023. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; Allocations under ARPA sec. 604 (awards announced 2022-06 to 2023). home.treasury.gov
- USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data. opendata.usac.org
- Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; Support months 2018-01 to 2026-09. opendata.usac.org
- USAC, Lifeline participation rate; released August 17, 2026. www.usac.org
- USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024; Enrolled households as of 2024-02-08 (Data Month January 2024 file). www.usac.org
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year detailed tables; 2019. api.census.gov
- US Internet Map, Our calculation from the sources named in the definition.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; July 1, 2025; released May 14, 2026. www.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files; released December 11, 2020. www2.census.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.