The Best of Internet in Maine

The history of this state goes back a long time. Can you imagine that the territory in what is now Maine was home to indigenous people for thousands of years, after the glaciers retreated during the last Ice Age?

Of course this scenario has changed a lot since then. Today, the state is very well known for its bayshore coastlines, mountains, forests, and waterways.

All this territory near the Atlantic Ocean also brings good news in terms of food: seafood cuisine is a must in Maine, especially clams and lobster. Vegetable and diversified farms are also very common in Maine.

Actually Portland, which is the biggest city of the state, was named Bon Appetit magazine’s Restaurant City of the Year in 2018.

This diversity of landscapes and food makes Maine a potential state for tourism, and also for attracting new residents who want to be close to natural beauty.

If you are part of one of the two groups, we can suggest which is the best internet service for you in the state, whether you are enjoying a trip with family and friends, or for you to make Maine your home.

Some cities in the state of Maine stand out when it comes to internet service. Kittery Point, Eliot, Springvale, Sanford, and Lebanon are the five top cities with the best internet coverage, pricing and speed combined, with Kittery Point being the best-connected city in Maine.

But analyzing the internet cost in the state, only 4.5% of Maine residents have access to a low-priced internet plan, which means a plan that costs $60 or less per month. This number is quite discrepant when looking at the national average: 51.5% of Americans have access to the same.

Still, most people in Maine have access to what the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defined as a broadband internet service.

So let's take a look at what the internet is like in some of the top cities of the state and what they are known for.

The largest city of the state of Maine, Portland has more than 68,000 residents. The city's metropolitan area has more than half a million people, which makes the area the 105th-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Even though Portland is not the capital of the state, it has become Maine’s economic capital. That’s because in addition to the city having the largest population, it also has the largest port and it is very close to Boston, only 105 miles away.

Portland's economy was once heavily based on fishing given its proximity to the sea, in addition to manufacturing and agriculture. Nowadays, service and tourism play a huge role in the city’s economy. Marine industry also plays an important role in the city’s economy.

For example most national banks institutions, such as Key Bank and Bank of America, have operations in the city.

When it comes to tourism, the Old Port district is known for its 19th-century architecture and its very livery nightlife.

Portland is the 36th most connected city in Maine ahead of cities such as Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth.

First, the good news: practically 100% of Portland residents have access to multiple wired providers.

To be more accurate, only 0.5% of consumers in Portland, approximately 300 people,

only have access to one or no wired internet providers available at their address.

But when it comes to fiber optics, which is considered the fastest and most steady service, generally only 8% of people living in the city have residential fiber service available to them.

Still, 11 of the 25 internet providers in the city offer residential service.

Viasat and HughesNet are available in 100% of the city, and that is why virtually every Portland resident has at least two internet service options. Still, when it comes to speed, Viasat manages to deliver double the speed of the internet.

There are still services like Spectrum and Consolidated that are also available in a good part of the territory (99.9% and 99.7% respectively) and offer great speeds options (1000 Mbps is the max download speed for both of them).

Bangor was a very important stopover on the great circle route air between the United State East Coast and Europe, and today it is home to the Bangor Air National Guard Base and also has a port of entry at Bangor International Airport.

The city, which was established in the 19th century, is the 3rd-largest of Maine, with more than 30,000 people.

Internet in Bangor

Ahead of Orono, Brewer, Eddington and Orrington, Bangor is the 15th most connected city in the state, and practically 99% of Bangor residents are serviced by multiple wired providers.

Only 1.5% of consumers in Bangor, which is more or less 600 people only have access to one or no wired internet providers available at their address.

As we have seen in cities like Portland, the supply of fiber optic services is not high in Bangor. Only 9% of the residents have access to fiber service.

Still, there are 20 internet providers in Bangor, and 11 of them offer residential service.

When it comes to availability, Viasat, HughesNet and Spectrum are the only three available in 100% of the city.

Still, when it comes to speed, Viasat manages to deliver double the speed of the internet in comparison to HughesNet, but Spectrum has a max download speed of 1000 Mbps.

Consolidated is another company available in a significant part of the territory (98.5%), and offers up to 1000 Mbps. It also has fiber optic service, which is pretty rare in the city.

Now we are looking at the second largest city in Maine, with a population of more than 37,000 according to the 2020 United States Census.

It is halfway between Augusta, Maine’s capital, and Portland, which we already saw is the most populous city in the state.

Lewiston plays a very important role in Maine when it comes to economic power, education, services, diversity and religious variety (it is at Lewiston the only basilica in the state (Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul). Actually, the city has experienced social and economic growth in recent years.

The city also has five colleges and universities, two significant general hospitals (Central Maine Medical Center and Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center), the Androscoggin Bank Colisée, the Stephens Observatory, the Olin Arts Center, and the Bates College Museum of Art.

Internet in Lewiston

When it comes to the internet, Lewiston is the 41st most connected city in the state. It is ahead of Minot, Lisbon, Auburn, Greene, and Sabattus.

Practically everyone who lives in Lewiston has access to multiple wired providers. To be even more accurate, only 0.5% of consumers in Lewiston, approximately 100 people,

only have access to one or no wired internet providers available at their address.

The city has 17 internet providers available, and 9 of them offer residential service.

Viasat, HughesNet and Spectrum once again are the only three available in 100% of the city.

But Spectrum pops up as the only company with an internet download speed that reaches 1000 Mbps (the highest speed after Spectrum is 115 Mbps, offered by T-Mobile Home Internet.