Internet in North Charleston, South Carolina
Fiber is available at 43.2% of the 38,037 homes and businesses the FCC counts in North Charleston, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 99.5%. 83.7% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 15.8% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
North Charleston in South Carolina
North Charleston is wired mostly by cable, and by more than one cable company. Xfinity, WOW! and Spectrum together put cable within reach of 95.7% of homes and businesses, and 83.7% have at least two wired providers at 100/20 Mbps. Fiber, almost all of it AT&T's, reaches 43.2%, well under South Carolina's 67.4%1.
Xfinity, WOW!, Spectrum and AT&T
The FCC National Broadband Map counts 38,037 homes and businesses inside North Charleston's 2020 city limits, as of June 30, 2026 (revision of November 10, 2026). Xfinity runs the widest cable network, reported at 76.3% of them. WOW! reports cable at 60.1% and Spectrum at 22.5%, each offering 100/20 Mbps or more wherever it reports service. AT&T reaches 82.2%1 by three routes: fiber, older DSL lines and fixed wireless.
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 84.0% | 29.4% | 100 Mbps | – |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 84.0% | 35.2% | 300 Mbps | – |
| AT&T | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 82.2% | 47.1% | 5 Gbps | 0.6% |
| Xfinity | Fiber Cable | 76.3% | 76.3% | 2 Gbps | 11.7% |
| WOW! | Cable | 60.1% | 60.1% | 1.2 Gbps | 0.6% |
| Spectrum | Fiber Cable | 22.5% | 22.5% | 1 Gbps | 2.9% |
| Home Telecom | Fiber | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5 Gbps | 0.0% |
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 (Starlink, HughesNet, Viasat) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
Two of the three cable companies are rare elsewhere in South Carolina: statewide, WOW! reports service at only 5.3% of locations and Xfinity at 13.4%. In North Charleston they run the two widest cable networks. Cable of some kind is reported at 95.7% of North Charleston's locations, against 75.0%1 statewide.
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.
Show the numbers
| Technology | North Charleston | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 43.2% | 67.4% |
| Cable | 95.7% | 75.0% |
| DSL (copper) | 48.1% | 40.4% |
| Licensed fixed wireless (incl. 5G home) | 95.5% | 86.4% |
| Unlicensed fixed wireless | 0.0% | 0.0% |
A provider "reports service" when it tells the FCC it could connect a location within ten business days with a standard installation. The claim can be challenged on the FCC National Broadband Map, and it says nothing about price. Speeds on this page are maximum advertised speeds, not measurements.
Choice at most addresses
Overlapping cable networks give North Charleston more wired choice than South Carolina as a whole. At 83.7% of locations two or more wired providers offer 100/20 Mbps; across South Carolina the share is 54.8%, and nationally 55.6%. Three or more such providers are reported at 23.5% of locations, against 10.6% statewide. On average a location here has 2.091 wired providers at that speed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Charleston | 0.5% | 15.8% | 60.2% | 23.5% |
| Charleston | 0.3% | 23.6% | 52.2% | 24.0% |
| South Carolina | 2.8% | 42.4% | 44.2% | 10.6% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
The single-wire share has fallen from 21.6%2 in June 2022 to 15.8%. Where one wire remains, it is most often Xfinity, the only wired 100/20 provider at 11.7% of locations; Spectrum is alone at 2.9%, WOW! at 0.6% and AT&T at 0.6%. Only 201 locations have no wired 100/20 service at all, and 12 have satellite as their only option, a share tied for the lowest1 among the 343 cities of 100,000 or more.
Fiber: one main network, under half the city
Fiber is where North Charleston trails. It is reported at 43.2% of locations, the 70th lowest share among large cities, below South Carolina (67.4%), the US (62.6%), Charleston (55.4%) and Columbia (70.4%1).
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.
Show the numbers
| Area | Fiber available |
|---|---|
| Columbia | 70.4% |
| South Carolina | 67.4% |
| United States | 62.6% |
| Charleston | 55.4% |
| North Charleston | 43.2% |
The fiber that exists is mostly one company's. AT&T reports fiber at 41.9% of locations and DSL across much of the rest of its footprint; DSL is still reported at 48.1% of the city. Home Telecom reports fiber at 5.8%, Spectrum at 1.7% and Xfinity at 0.2%. That makes 4 fiber providers, the same number as in June 2022; among large cities that count is tied for 82nd lowest. Two or more fiber networks reach 5.3%1 of locations.
The gap with the state has widened. In June 2022 fiber reached 29.3% of North Charleston's locations and 36.1%2 of South Carolina's. Since then the city's share rose 13.9 percentage points, the state's 31.3 percentage points1.
Faster tiers without much more fiber
Speeds changed far more than fiber coverage did. The share of locations where the fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more went from 15.0% in June 2022 to 65.5%; on fiber, AT&T advertises up to 5 Gbps and Home Telecom up to 5 Gbps. Gigabit service with uploads of at least 100 Mbps, the FCC's 1,000/100 tier, went from 29.2%2 to 73.3%; the state's share is 72.8%1.
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.
Show the numbers
| Area | Under 25 Mbps or none | 25–99 | 100–249 | 250–499 | 500–939 | 940–1,999 | 2,000 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Charleston | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 34.0% | 65.5% |
| South Carolina | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 40.7% | 56.0% |
| United States | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 31.0% | 61.0% |
The 1,000/100 share is now well above the fiber share. The difference can only come from cable, so across a large part of the city the cable companies report gigabit service with uploads of 100 Mbps or more. Symmetrical service of 100/100 Mbps or more is reported at 73.3%1 of locations, against 29.2%2 in 2022.
Home internet over 5G
Licensed fixed wireless, the category that includes 5G home internet, is reported at 95.5% of locations by 3 carriers, against 2 in June 2022. T-Mobile reports it at 84.0% of locations with advertised downloads up to 100 Mbps, Verizon at 84.0% with up to 300 Mbps, and AT&T on part of its footprint. Fixed wireless at 100/20 Mbps or more covers 53.8%1, up from 19.1%2 in 2022. Wireless capacity is shared by everyone on a tower sector, so availability at a given address can change.
One household in five on a phone plan alone
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts households and their subscriptions, not locations and availability. In 2025, 19.9% of North Charleston households relied only on a cellular data plan for internet (margin of error ±4.8 percentage points). By point estimate that share is tied for 17th highest among large cities. South Carolina's share is 13.2% (±0.5 percentage points3), and the city's range sits above it.
Subscriptions to cable, fiber or DSL were reported by 72.5% of households (±4.6 percentage points), tied for 34th lowest among large cities, against 76.3% statewide (±0.5 percentage points3). Wired service at 100/20 Mbps is reported at 99.5%1 of the city's locations, so the gap lies in what households subscribe to, not in where the networks run.
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) | 99.5% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 72.5% | ±4.6 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 19.9% | ±4.8 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 4.4% | ±2.0 |
Far fewer households go without any subscription than in 2019: 4.4% in 2025 (±2.0 percentage points3), against 30.6% in 2019 (±4.7 percentage points). The phone-only share was 13.8% in 2019 (±3.2 percentage points4); the two estimates overlap, so the survey does not show a clear change.
North Charleston and its population peers
The table places North Charleston among the large cities closest to it in population, with the same FCC release for each.
| Area | Fiber available | Gigabit (1,000/100) | Two or more wired choices | Fiber networks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearland, Texas | 93.9% | 97.9% | 93.8% | 6 |
| Columbia, Missouri | 92.6% | 92.3% | 92.1% | 7 |
| Norman, Oklahoma | 89.7% | 95.9% | 77.2% | 4 |
| West Palm Beach, Florida | 67.6% | 92.9% | 69.4% | 7 |
| College Station, Texas | 58.3% | 55.1% | 54.1% | 5 |
| Athens, Georgia | 57.1% | 57.4% | 55.2% | 5 |
| North Charleston, South Carolina | 43.2% | 73.3% | 83.7% | 4 |
| Clovis, California | 34.9% | 98.0% | 39.4% | 2 |
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.
Xfinity and WOW! also run the two cable networks in Charleston, where fiber reaches more of the city. The South Carolina page maps every county and the state's BEAD plan.
North Charleston internet questions
What internet providers serve North Charleston, SC?
As of June 30, 2026, 5 wired providers report service in the city. Xfinity reports cable at 76.3% of locations, WOW! at 60.1% and Spectrum at 22.5%. AT&T reports 82.2% through fiber, DSL and fixed wireless, and Home Telecom reports fiber at 5.8%. T-Mobile (84.0%) and Verizon (84.0%1) report home internet over their wireless networks, and HughesNet, Starlink and Viasat report satellite service everywhere.
Is fiber internet available in North Charleston?
At 43.2% of locations, up from 29.3%2 in June 2022. AT&T accounts for most of it (41.9% of locations), with Home Telecom at 5.8%. Across South Carolina the share is 67.4%1. The FCC map shows whether a particular address has fiber.
How many internet providers can one address in North Charleston get?
Counting wired providers that offer at least 100/20 Mbps: one at 15.8% of locations, two at 60.2% and three or more at 23.5%1. Fixed wireless and satellite come on top of those.
Is 5G home internet available in North Charleston?
T-Mobile reports fixed wireless home internet at 84.0% of locations and Verizon at 84.0%; AT&T reports it on part of its footprint. At 100/20 Mbps or more the shares fall to 29.4% for T-Mobile and 35.2%1 for Verizon. The carriers decide eligibility address by address.
Checking one address in North Charleston
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 South Carolina
The state picture, county by county: internet in South Carolina. Other large cities in the state: Charleston and Columbia. Compare North Charleston with any other city or state in the comparison tool.
Sources
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Availability as of June 30, 2026; released November 10, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; Availability as of June 30, 2022; released May 10, 2024. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- 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
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.