What's Actually Available in Northern NH
If you live in Coos County, northern Grafton County, or the Lakes Region, your internet options have historically been limited to two: slow DSL from the legacy phone company, or satellite with its latency and data caps. Fiber keeps getting talked about at town meetings and in grant applications, but for most homes north of the Notches, it hasn't shown up yet.
Here's an honest look at what's available in 2026 and what each option actually delivers.
DSL from the Legacy Phone Company
The incumbent phone company serving most of northern New Hampshire offers DSL over the same copper lines that have been in the ground for decades.
What you typically get:
- Download speeds of 5–25 Mbps depending on how far you are from the nearest central office
- Upload speeds of 1–5 Mbps
- No data caps on most plans
- Pricing around $50–$80/mo
The reality: DSL speed degrades the farther your home is from the switching station. If you're in downtown Lancaster or Littleton, you might see 15–25 Mbps. Drive a few miles out of town and you're looking at single digits. Upload speeds are almost always under 5 Mbps, which makes video calls unreliable and cloud backups painfully slow.
The phone company hasn't made meaningful speed upgrades to their northern NH DSL network in years. Their investment focus has been on southern New Hampshire and fiber projects in other states.
Satellite Internet (Starlink, HughesNet, Viasat)
Satellite internet works anywhere with a view of the sky, which makes it available in places DSL can't reach. Starlink has become the default option for homes too remote for anything else.
Starlink specifics:
- Download speeds of 25–100 Mbps (real-world, not advertised)
- Upload speeds of 5–10 Mbps
- Latency of 25–60 ms on good days, can spike to 100 ms+ during congestion
- $120/mo with priority data tiers
- $599 equipment cost up front (or $15/mo lease)
- No contracts
The tradeoffs: Starlink works well enough for basic browsing and streaming, but the latency can be noticeable on video calls. You'll get that half-second delay where you talk over each other. Heavy snow or rain can degrade the signal. And as more people sign up in rural areas, peak-time congestion has become a real issue. Starlink's priority data model means you get deprioritized once you hit your monthly threshold, and speeds can drop significantly.
HughesNet and Viasat are older geostationary satellite services. They work, but latency is 600 ms+, which makes video calls and gaming nearly impossible.
Fixed Wireless: Netafy Broadband
Fixed wireless internet uses ground-based towers (not satellites) to deliver broadband over the air. Netafy Broadband's towers across northern NH are fiber-connected, meaning the backhaul is just as fast as a wired connection. The last mile to your home is wireless.
What you get:
- Download speeds of 50–400 Mbps with GigTier equipment
- Upload speeds up to 100 Mbps
- Latency of 10–25 ms (comparable to cable)
- No data caps
- $49–$109/mo depending on plan
- $99–$199 installation
- No contracts (month-to-month after install)
- Local, New England–based support
How it works: A technician mounts a small receiver on your home, usually on the roof or an exterior wall, that communicates with the nearest Netafy Broadband tower. The install takes a few hours. Netafy Broadband's GigTier equipment uses non-line-of-sight technology, which means it can work even if there are trees between your home and the tower. That matters a lot in heavily forested northern NH.
How They Compare
| Feature | DSL (Legacy Provider) | Satellite (Starlink) | Netafy Broadband Fixed Wireless |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download speed | 5–25 Mbps | 25–100 Mbps | 50–400 Mbps |
| Upload speed | 1–5 Mbps | 5–10 Mbps | Up to 100 Mbps |
| Latency | 20–40 ms | 25–60 ms+ | 10–25 ms |
| Data caps | None | Priority data limits | None |
| Monthly price | $50–$80 | $120 | $49–$109 |
| Contract | Varies | None | None |
| Weather impact | Minimal | Snow/rain degrades | Minimal |
| Support | National call center | Email/chat only | NH-based team |
| Video call quality | Poor (upload limited) | Okay (latency issues) | Reliable |
Town-by-Town: What Northern NH Residents Can Use
Lancaster & Whitefield: DSL available in town centers at moderate speeds. Netafy Broadband GigTier covers both. Starlink available.
Littleton, Bethlehem & Franconia: DSL available but speeds vary widely outside village centers. Netafy Broadband GigTier available across the region. Sugar Hill and Easton also covered.
Berlin & Gorham: DSL available in town. Netafy Broadband covers both communities with GigTier.
Colebrook, Pittsburg & the Connecticut Lakes: DSL limited or unavailable beyond town centers. Netafy Broadband covers Colebrook, Pittsburg, Clarksville, and Stewartstown. For the most remote camps, satellite may be the only option if outside tower range.
Meredith & Moultonborough (Lakes Region): Better DSL availability in these towns, but Netafy Broadband GigTier offers a significant speed upgrade for homes in the service area.
The Bottom Line
For most homes in northern NH within Netafy Broadband's coverage area, fixed wireless is the best combination of speed, price, and reliability available right now. It delivers speeds that DSL simply can't match, without the latency, data caps, and weather sensitivity of satellite.
If you're currently on the phone company's DSL getting 10 Mbps and paying $60/mo, switching to Netafy Broadband's Basic plan gives you 50–100 Mbps for $49/mo. That's a real upgrade, not a marginal one.
Check your address at netafy.com/contact to see if your home is in coverage, or view all residential plans.
