ISP Outage History & Reliability Report 2026
By SpeedTestHQ Research · Updated April 27, 2026
Which ISPs go down most often — and for how long? This report tracks average outages per year, typical duration, notable 2025 incidents, and overall uptime for major US providers. Updated 2026-04-27.
ISP outage data and uptime rankings
| ISP | Avg Outages/Year | Avg Duration | Worst 2025 Incident | Uptime | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 2 | 0.8 hrs | Feb 2025 — 45 min, SF Bay Area | 99.98% | Best reliability |
| Verizon Fios | 3 | 1.2 hrs | Jan 2025 — 2 hrs, Northeast | 99.97% | Excellent uptime |
| AT&T Fiber | 5 | 1.5 hrs | Mar 2025 — 3 hrs, Texas storms | 99.95% | Very reliable |
| Frontier Fiber | 6 | 2.0 hrs | Dec 2024 — 4 hrs, CA maintenance | 99.93% | Reliable fiber |
| Cox | 8 | 2.5 hrs | Aug 2025 — 5 hrs, AZ heat event | 99.9% | Good cable reliability |
| Xfinity | 12 | 3.0 hrs | Oct 2025 — 6 hrs, national DNS | 99.86% | Average cable uptime |
| Spectrum | 10 | 2.8 hrs | Sep 2025 — 5 hrs, network maintenance | 99.88% | Average cable uptime |
| T-Mobile Home | 15 | 1.5 hrs | Apr 2025 — 3 hrs, tower maintenance | 99.74% | Weather-dependent |
| Starlink | 20 | 0.8 hrs | Jan 2025 — 1 hr, satellite updates | 99.54% | Improving rapidly |
| HughesNet | 25 | 4.0 hrs | Jul 2025 — 8 hrs, GEO satellite issue | 99.05% | Least reliable |
Key findings
- Fiber ISPs have far fewer outages: Google Fiber and Verizon Fios average just 2–3 outages per year, compared to 10–15 for cable and wireless providers. Fiber networks have fewer points of failure and are not susceptible to weather-related cable damage.
- Cable outage duration is longer: When Xfinity or Spectrum go down, incidents typically last 2–6 hours. Fiber outages average under 2 hours due to simpler network architecture and faster restoration procedures.
- Satellite reliability is improving: Starlink's outage count is high (20/year) but average duration is only 0.8 hours — mostly planned maintenance windows. HughesNet remains the least reliable with multi-hour GEO satellite incidents.
- 5G home internet has weather risk: T-Mobile Home Internet's higher outage rate partly reflects tower maintenance cycles and weather events that temporarily degrade 5G signals. Outages are typically shorter than cable incidents.
What causes ISP outages?
The most common causes of broadband outages, in order of frequency: fiber cuts (construction damage to underground cables), equipment failure (node or amplifier failures in the network), weather events (hurricanes, ice storms, and extreme heat affect aerial cable and outdoor equipment), DNS / routing issues (software and configuration problems that can affect large regions simultaneously), and planned maintenance (scheduled updates that sometimes run long).
How to check if your ISP is down
Run a speed test first — zero results or dramatically reduced speeds confirm a connection problem. Check your ISP's official status page and social media for announcements. Third-party outage tracking sites aggregate user reports in real time. If only your home is affected, the issue is likely your modem, router, or local line rather than a network-wide outage.
Methodology
Outage data is aggregated from FCC outage reports, ISP status page histories, and user-reported incidents cross-referenced with SpeedTestHQ test failure patterns. Reliability percentage represents estimated annual uptime. Data covers the 12-month period ending April 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which ISP has the fewest outages in the US?
Google Fiber leads with just 2 outages per year and a 99.98% uptime, followed by Verizon Fios at 3 outages per year (99.97% uptime) and AT&T Fiber at 5 outages per year (99.95%). All three are fiber ISPs — their network architecture has fewer physical failure points than cable or wireless alternatives.
How long do ISP outages typically last?
Duration varies significantly by technology. Fiber outages average under 2 hours due to simpler network topologies and faster fault isolation. Cable outages (Xfinity, Spectrum) average 2.8–3.0 hours, with major incidents extending to 5–6 hours. HughesNet's GEO satellite incidents are the longest at an average of 4 hours, with the worst 2025 incident lasting 8 hours.
Is Starlink reliable enough for everyday use?
Starlink averages 20 outages per year but each is brief — just 0.8 hours on average, mostly planned maintenance windows. Its 99.54% uptime is lower than any wired ISP but has improved rapidly year over year. For rural users where cable and fiber are unavailable, Starlink is the most reliable option. For users who have a wired alternative, that alternative will generally be more consistent.
What should I do when my ISP has an outage?
First, run a speed test to confirm the problem is not local to your home equipment. Check your ISP's official status page and social media channels for outage announcements. If only your home is affected, restart your modem and router before calling support. If it is a confirmed network-wide outage, document the start time — many ISPs offer service credits for extended outages when requested.