• Although there are several options for service on-island, there are trade-offs between price, available speed, and in some cases, maximum data caps.  As with all products, each person will have to determine what their actual needs are to determine the connection speed and reliability they want to choose.

    A summary of the most common options is listed below. UCCA is not endorsing any provider, and the service you receive and price you pay will vary with the options you choose and negotiate in your particular plan with the provider. It’s always a good idea to research your options and ask neighbors for feedback on the services they’ve used.

    UCWISP.com is a new wireless service bringing high-speed internet to Upper Captiva. You can have up to 100Mbps bandwidth and unlimited data for a low monthly cost.

      • https://ucwisp.com
      • Minimum data rate of 10Mbps bursting up to 100+Mbps
      • Unlimited data with no bandwidth throttling ever
      • Buy your own equipment, no leasing of equipment
      • Ubiquiti Nanobeam antenna ($150.00) and optional Ubiquiti Cube WiFi router ($100).
      • DIY installation or use a local contractor
      • $149/month for 10/100 service plan
      • No contract
      • Shop small, Buy local

    T-Mobile Home Internet:

      • https://www.t-mobile.com/home-internet
      • The cost is $50/month if you sign up for paperless billing
      • Although the T-Mobile website shows that service is not currently available, many Islanders report that they have gone to any local T-Mobile retail store location (see https://www.t-mobile.com/store-locator?sortBy=type1&page=1&search=33924) to can sign up and take home a mobile cellular access point
      • Reported speeds on the island are in the 20Mbps – 100Mbps range, depending on home location and where in the home the access point is set up
      • There is no rental fee for the access point and installation is as simple as plugging in the device to the electric outlet and checking different places in your home for best/strongest signal.

    AT&T Wireless Broadband for Business:

      • https://www.att.com/buy/broadband/availability.html (enter your on-island address and check business)
      • The cost is $65/month plus taxes and fees if you sign up for paperless billing
      • Although the AT&T website shows that broadband wireless service is not currently available for residential, if you run a business from your home (even as a rental), you should qualify for a business account
      • Reported speeds on the island are in the 20Mbps – 150Mbps range, depending on home location and where in the home the access point is set up
      • There may be a delivery and installation fee but you can check in with a retail store to discuss options (see https://www.att.com/stores/?q=33945&qp=33945&r=50&l=en)

    Verizon Home Wireless Internet:

    CenturyLink is the least expensive service with the slowest download/streaming speed. Depending on your location on the island and number of neighbors using CenturyLink internet at the same time, you may get anywhere from .5 Mbps to 1.5Mbps (that is the nature of DSL service, and is running on the old copper wire phone lines on the island). At the upper end of this speed, you can usually stream one TV channel, surf websites, or download email; but not always all at the same time, as well as a Voice Over IP (VOIP) telephone service like MagicJack.

      • https://www.centurylink.com/home/internet
      • The price for new customers is $49/month
      • The modem can be rented at $15/month or purchased for $200 (stores like BestBuy will typically have a better price for purchase)

    North Captiva Island Club (for NCIC members) has tiered pricing based on speed (5, 10, 15 or 20 Mbps). This service requires a line-of-sight antenna on your home connected to the NCIC tower at the Club complex. That tower then connects via microwave back to the mainland. This provides for a high speed service that is fairly stable, even in bad weather (unlike satellite connections). The NCIC service also provides options for a streaming TV service.

      • https://www.northcaptiva.com/
      • 5 MB service per month is $89
      • 10 MB service per month is $159
      • 15 MB service per month is $229
      • 20 MB service per month is $289
      • Installation of antenna and router with setup (including first month’s service) is $550-$700 depending on your home configuration to mount and access the NCIC tower)
      • ROKU/FireStick/Apple TV appliance is $40/TV

    StarLink is a high-speed satellite service which is now being rolled out by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. This effort to bring affordable, high speed internet access to rural customers is being rolled out in our area soon. In addition to the speed, and lower cost, the difference here is that there is no proposed data cap imposed on users.

      • https://www.starlink.com/
      • You can sign up for the waiting list for our area and preorder your Starlink service on its site with a refundable $99 deposit
      • Service began in our area in January 2022
      • Initial island users of this service see average download speeds over 200 Mbps and upload speeds of about 20 Mbps
      • Service charge of $110/month
      • Equipment costs for small satellite dish, router, and power supply is $599 plus $50 shipping (self-install required)
      • Note: User should be comfortable with self install. There is no customer service.  No phone number, email nor online chat to contact should you have issues.

    Viasat Satellite Service:

      • https://www.viasat.com/internet requires a 2 year-contract
      • The price for new customers for their 3 plans are:
        • Unlimited Bronze: 12Mbps with the possibility of “throttled” (slower) downloads after your monthly usage exceeds 40GB (about 20 hours of streaming per month) is $70/month
        • Unlimited Silver: 25Mbps with the possibility of “throttled” (slower) downloads after your monthly usage exceeds 60GB (about 38 hours of streaming per month)is $100/month
        • Unlimited Gold: 30Mbps with the possibility of “throttled” (slower) downloads after your monthly usage exceeds 100GB (about 48 hours of streaming per month) is $150/month
      • Equipment cost is $12.99/month or $299.99 for “lifetime prepaid”
      • Installation cost is $99

    HughesNet Satellite Service:

      • https://www.hughesnet.com/get-started requires a 2 year-contract
      • The price for new customers for their 4 plans are:
        • 10GB Plan: 25Mbps with the possibility of “throttled” (slower) downloads after your monthly usage exceeds 10GB (about 15 hours of streaming per month) is $60/month
        • 20GB Plan: 25Mbps with the possibility of “throttled” (slower) downloads after your monthly usage exceeds 20GB (about 30 hours of streaming per month)is $70/month
        • 30GB Plan: 25Mbps with the possibility of “throttled” (slower) downloads after your monthly usage exceeds 100GB (about 48 hours of streaming per month) is $100/month
        • 50GB Plan: 25Mbps s with the possibility of “throttled” (slower) downloads after your monthly usage exceeds 50GB (about 75 hours of streaming per month) is $150/month
      • Equipment cost is either:
      • Lease at $9.99/month plus $99 lease setup fee
      • Purchase for $349.98 for “lifetime prepaid”
      • Installation cost is currently free