The U.S. wireless internet service provider (WISP) market has expanded steadily in recent years, filling critical connectivity gaps where major telecom operators have limited presence.
According to the Wireless ISP Association (WISPA), roughly two thousand WISPs currently operate nationwide, delivering broadband to about nine million Americans. Many of these providers serve only a few hundred customers, yet they play an essential role in keeping rural towns, underserved regions, and specialized communities online.
WISPs have risen in prominence thanks to advances in vendor equipment, which make it more cost-effective to use unlicensed spectrum and commercial off-the-shelf hardware to extend coverage. This shift has enabled even small, locally focused companies to deploy fixed wireless access (FWA) networks that deliver solid performance at a fraction of the traditional cost. Unlike national operators such as Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T—which also use FWA but treat it as a complementary product—WISPs rely on fixed wireless as the core of their business model.
An analysis of Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence data covering eight larger WISPs—Etheric Networks, GeoLinks, NextLink Internet, Resound Networks, Rise Broadband, Starry, Unwired Broadband, and Wisper Internet—reveals how the sector has evolved from Q1 2021 to Q2 2025. To isolate FWA performance for providers that offer both fiber and wireless, users with upload speeds below one hundred megabits were categorized as FWA customers.
Across this four-year window, every WISP improved its download speeds, demonstrating the sector’s steady technological advancement. However, the level of performance varies widely from provider to provider, reflecting differences in network design, available spectrum, investment capabilities, and market conditions. While some WISPs have surged ahead with double-digit gains in speed and reliability, others continue to face challenges related to capacity limits, equipment upgrades, and geographic constraints.
An examination of eight of the largest U.S. wireless internet service providers from Q1 2021 through Q2 2025 shows a market defined by significant progress, but also substantial variability. Each WISP operates under different conditions — from the spectrum they control to the vendor equipment they deploy — and these differences create a wide range of performance outcomes. Coverage footprints and business strategies also vary, adding further complexity to direct comparisons.
Even with these disparities, one trend is clear: all eight WISPs posted higher median download speeds over the four-year period. Upload speeds also improved, though at a far slower pace, highlighting the ongoing limitations of fixed wireless access networks when handling upstream traffic.
Among the group, Starry stood out as the top performer. By Q2 2025, its median download speed reached 202.25 megabits, placing it well ahead of every other provider in the analysis. Resound Networks, the next best among the group, delivered a median download speed of 99.41 megabits in the same quarter — less than half of Starry’s performance. The gap was even more pronounced when compared to GeoLinks, which ranked the lowest with a median download speed of just 22.74 megabits in Q2 2025.
The data highlights both the progress and the uneven landscape of the WISP ecosystem, where innovation, local market constraints, and technology investments continue to shape broadband performance across the country.
U.S. WISP Analyzed
Starry
Starry operates a proprietary fixed wireless system using shared mmWave spectrum at 37 GHz and a large block of 24 GHz licenses. Its model targets multi-dwelling units, deploying rooftop base stations that serve multiple nearby buildings using modified 802.11ac/ax technology. The company, currently being acquired by Verizon, serves about one hundred thousand subscribers across five major metro markets. Starry offers plans ranging from 200 megabits to one gigabit. Performance improved significantly over the study period, with median download speeds rising from 102.74 megabits in Q1 2022 to 202.25 megabits in Q2 2025. Upload speeds improved modestly, and a major performance jump occurred after its Comet 2.0 receiver rollout.
GeoLinks
GeoLinks relies primarily on LMDS spectrum in the 29 and 31 GHz bands acquired from Verizon. Although it holds spectrum in several markets, most activity is in California. The company has demonstrated multi-gigabit mmWave capability and is exploring opportunities to lease spectrum to other operators. Pricing ranges from 10 megabits to 100 megabits, with the most popular tier offering symmetrical 30 megabit speeds. Despite its high-band spectrum assets, its Speedtest results remain low: in Q2 2025 users recorded a median download speed of 22.74 megabits and a median upload speed of 19.82 megabits.
Etheric Networks
Etheric serves the California Bay Area using a combination of unlicensed mid-band spectrum and new access to 28 GHz spectrum via BroadbandOne. A fiber backbone connects its towers and data centers. Residential pricing ranges from 100 megabits to one gigabit. Median downloads nearly doubled over the study window, rising from 21.34 megabits in Q1 2021 to 41.09 megabits in Q2 2025, while uploads increased from 13.6 megabits to 29.5 megabits. Users in the seventy-fifth percentile reached 65.45 megabits by Q2 2025.
NextLink
NextLink is one of the largest CBRS license holders, acquiring more than eleven hundred PAL licenses across eleven states for twenty-eight million dollars. It serves more than one hundred thousand wireless customers and twenty thousand fiber customers. Supported by CAF II and RDOF funding, it offers FWA plans from 50 megabits to 500 megabits. Median download speeds tripled from 19.45 megabits in Q1 2021 to 68.47 megabits in Q2 2025. Upload speeds increased sharply as well, rising from 4.72 megabits to 18.26 megabits. Seventy-fifth percentile speeds surpassed 122 megabits.
Resound Networks
Resound provides FWA across several southwestern states and uses Tarana Wireless equipment in unlicensed 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. It also offers fiber in select areas and is expanding with the help of 303 million dollars in RDOF funding. Residential speeds range from 75 megabits to one gigabit. Its network saw strong performance gains from mid-2023 to 2025: median download speeds rose from 38.94 megabits in Q3 2023 to 99.41 megabits in Q2 2025. Seventy-fifth percentile speeds climbed to 190.76 megabits during this expansion phase.
Rise Broadband
Rise is one of the oldest and largest WISPs, serving about two hundred thousand customers across sixteen states. It uses a mix of unlicensed 5 GHz, CBRS mid-band, and some licensed 2.5 GHz spectrum. Rise is adopting a hybrid model that deploys FWA first and follows with fiber in denser areas. Plans range from 50 megabits to 400 megabits. Median download speeds improved from 16.01 megabits in Q1 2021 to 42.58 megabits in Q2 2025. Upload speeds saw major gains, rising from 4.05 megabits to 18.38 megabits. The seventy-fifth percentile download reached 65.97 megabits by Q2 2025.
Wisper Internet
Wisper serves six Midwestern states with a mix of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. It offers plans from 25 megabits to 400 megabits and uses Tarana Wireless gear to expand and improve performance. Wisper’s most dramatic improvements occurred between Q3 2023 and Q2 2025, when median download speeds jumped from 33.74 megabits to 52.90 megabits. Seventy-fifth percentile speeds doubled to 107.90 megabits, largely due to new deployments on about 180 towers.
Unwired Broadband
Unwired operates in rural central and northern California with over two hundred towers covering seventeen thousand square miles. Its service bundles licensed 2.5 GHz and unlicensed 6 GHz spectrum. Residential plans start at 100 megabits. Performance increased steadily, but a major jump occurred between Q3 and Q4 2024, when median download speeds surged from 27.22 megabits to 44.25 megabits. Upload speeds increased from 9.7 megabits to 15.9 megabits during the same period, likely tied to backhaul or radios being upgraded.
Overall Market Outlook
WISPs have improved significantly in recent years, but the competitive environment is changing rapidly. LEO satellite systems, especially Starlink and the emerging Kuiper network, now pose real threats in rural markets where WISPs once had little competition. Starlink’s median download speed nearly doubled to 104.71 megabits by Q1 2025, outperforming seven of the eight WISPs in this analysis. With growing satellite capacity, aggressive pricing strategies, and widespread availability, pressure on WISPs is likely to increase.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
