What's Actually Available in Northern NH
If you live in Coos County, northern Grafton County, or the Lakes Region, leftover DSL and satellite used to be the only realistic options. Fiber is arriving in parts of the north. A lot of roads, long driveways, and seasonal camps still don't have it.
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:
- Speeds that drop the farther you are from the nearest central office. Check the provider.
- Upload is the weak spot for video calls and cloud backups
- No data caps on most plans
- Check the provider for current monthly price
The reality: DSL speed degrades the farther your home is from the switching station. Downtown Lancaster or Littleton is usually better than a few miles out. Upload is what makes video calls unreliable and cloud backups painfully slow. Check the phone company for their current numbers.
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:
- Works anywhere with a sky view
- Priority data tiers (speeds can drop after you hit the monthly threshold)
- No contracts
- Check Starlink for current download, upload, latency, monthly price, and dish cost
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.
HughesNet and Viasat are older geostationary satellite services. They work, but the delay is high enough that video calls and gaming are rough.
Fixed Wireless: Netafy
Fixed wireless internet uses ground-based towers (not satellites) to deliver broadband over the air. Netafy'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:
- GigTier from $49/mo (50 Mbps min, 100 Mbps burst). Plans run $49–$109/mo
- Download speeds of 50–400 Mbps on listed GigTier plans
- Speeds up to 2 Gbps are available for some homes. Ask us about it.
- Upload speeds up to 100 Mbps
- Ground-path latency. We don't publish a millisecond SLA.
- No data caps
- $99–$199 installation
- No contracts (month-to-month after install)
- Local, New England–based support
- Where GigTier isn't available yet, ask about Standard from $48/mo
How it works: We mount a compact outdoor receiver on your home, powered by one low-voltage Ethernet cable. Installation is $99 to $199. Netafy'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 Fixed Wireless |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download speed | Check the provider | Check Starlink | 50–400 Mbps |
| Upload speed | Check the provider | Check Starlink | Up to 100 Mbps |
| Latency | Check the provider | Higher and more variable than a ground path | Ground path. No published ms SLA. |
| Data caps | None | Priority data limits | None |
| Monthly price | Check the provider | Check Starlink | $49–$109 |
| Contract | Varies | None | None |
| Weather impact | Usually fine | Snow/rain degrades | Heavy weather can occasionally affect it |
| 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 GigTier covers both. Starlink available.
Littleton, Bethlehem & Franconia: DSL available but speeds vary widely outside village centers. Netafy GigTier available across the region. Sugar Hill and Easton also covered.
Berlin & Gorham: DSL available in town. Netafy covers both communities with GigTier.
Colebrook, Pittsburg & the Connecticut Lakes: DSL limited or unavailable beyond town centers. Netafy 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 GigTier offers a significant speed upgrade for homes in the service area.
The Bottom Line
For most homes in northern NH within Netafy's coverage area, fixed wireless is the practical mix of speed, price, and a ground path. It beats leftover DSL on speed, and it doesn't have satellite data caps. Heavy weather can still occasionally affect a wireless link.
GigTier from $49/mo (50 Mbps min, 100 Mbps burst). Where GigTier isn't available yet, ask about Standard from $48/mo.
Check your address at netafy.com/contact to see if your home is in coverage, or view all residential plans.
