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Midco Internet Review: Comparing Plans, Prices, and Availability

Midco Internet Plans

Plan Monthly price Maximum speed Fee and service details
Wireless Home Internet $39 ($59 after 12 months) 100 Mbps $11 Hardware Rental, No Data Limits, No Contracts
Internet 125 $29 ($49 after 12 months) 125 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts
Internet 250 $39 ($65 after 12 months) 250 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts
Internet 500 $49 ($75 after 12 months) 500 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts
Internet 750 $59 ($85 after 12 months) 750 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts
Internet 1 Gig $59 ($100 after 12 months) 1000 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts
Internet 1.25 Gigabit $99 ($129 after 12 months) 1250 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts
2 Gig fiber optic internet $99 ($129 after 12 months) 2000 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts
5 Gig fiber optic internet $249 5000 Mbps $11 (optional) for equipment rental, no data limits or contracts

Show more (5 items)

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

Midcontinent Communications, or Midco, is a unique internet provider that offers cable, fiber, and wireless connections. Speeds will vary depending on the type of connection available at your address. A landline wireless connection has the slowest maximum speed, around 100 megabits per second. Fiber internet is the fastest, although its cable service is not far behind.

Another unique aspect of Midco is its selection of cable and fiber plans. Midco’s fiber service offers up to seven plans, some of the most I’ve seen from any provider, with speeds ranging from 125 to 5,000 Mbps. Midco cable customers can choose between six plans with maximum speeds of up to 1,250 Mbps.

Which Midco internet plan is best?

Midco offers a variety of plans to choose from, but there is a noticeable jump in speed between each plan and the next, usually 250 Mbps, to help you find the right plan for your needs. Consider what you use the internet for and how many devices and users will be on your network to .

If you want a high-speed plan but would rather keep your bill under $100 per month, I recommend the Midco 750 Mbps plan. It offers sufficient speeds for general home use and will cost around $96 per month (before taxes and fees) with equipment rental, even after the standard pricing goes into effect.

No matter which plan you choose, Midco’s prices are as fair as any, even after the standard rates kick in after 12 months. The wireless service is also competitively priced at $39 ($59 after 12 months), for relatively fast speeds considering the type of connection, up to 100 Mbps.

How many members of your household use the Internet?

Apart from speed and pricing, what else can you expect from Midco? Here’s everything you need to know about the ISP before signing up.

Hardware Fees, Data Caps and Midco Contracts

Renting your Wi-Fi equipment through Midco will add $11 to your monthly bill. That’s not a bad deal, as many ISPs charge more to rent a router, but it’s worth noting that some .

Customers using cable and fiber optic services have the option to: AND bypassing the rental fee. Wireless customers unfortunately don’t have the option to bring their own equipment, so if you’re considering wireless service, feel free to add $11 to the monthly cost.

For homes larger than 1,500 square feet or with more than one floor, Midco recommends adding Wi-Fi modules as needed (up to five) to provide better Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home. Mesh modules can be rented for as little as $2 per month per device.

When it comes to data limits and contracts, all Midco service types and plans offer unlimited data and no contracts are required.

Midco Internet Availability

Screenshot of FCC map showing Midco Internet availability Screenshot of FCC map showing Midco Internet availability

Midco’s total internet coverage is based on three types of services: cable (pink), fiber (purple), and fixed wireless (green).

FCC

The aptly named Midcontinent Communications is located in the central part of the United States, headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Midcontinent offers internet services in parts of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and to a lesser extent Iowa, Kansas, and Wisconsin.

Midco’s popular service areas include:

  • Aberdeen, South Dakota
  • Bemidji, Minnesota
  • Bismarck, North Dakota
  • Dickinson, North Dakota
  • Fargo, North Dakota
  • Grand Forks, North Dakota
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Minot, North Dakota
  • Pierre, South Dakota
  • Rapid City, South Dakota
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • Wilmar, Minnesota

Most of Midco’s coverage comes from its wireless network, but the provider’s cable service is available to more homes. Fiber internet is less widely available, although Midco’s fiber coverage has grown steadily in recent years, according to the FCC.

How does Midco Internet compare?

Midco’s service quality and overall value will vary based on the type of service available at your address. Fiber is the preferred connection type over cable, and cable is preferred over fixed wireless.

If your area has fiber optic internet from Midco and cable internet from another provider, e.g. Xfinity Or SpectrumMidco will likely offer the best selection of plans, including the fastest download and upload speeds and the most reliable speeds. Prices can also be lower for comparable speeds. For example, 500 Mbps from Midco starts at $49 per month ($75 after 12 months), while the same potential download speed from Spectrum could cost $70 per month initially and $108 after 24 months.

On the other hand, if your address is only available to Midco cable services and a fiber provider such as AT&T Fiber Optic Or Quantum fiber is available, fibre service will likely again offer the best choice of speed and value.

In addition, fiber internet is capable of delivering symmetrical upload and download speeds. While Midco cable’s upload speeds are faster than most, topping out at around 200 Mbps, they are still slower than those available with a fiber connection.

Midco Fixed Wireless is a decent option for rural internet, but you’ll want to skip it if there’s a cable or fiber internet provider in your area. If there’s none, Midco Fixed Wireless is worth considering, especially over DSL, although wireless internet with T-Mobile Home Internet can be faster and cheaper (no fees for required equipment).

Midco Customer Satisfaction

Our usual sources of customer satisfaction, American Customer Satisfaction Index AND JD Powercurrently do not include Midco in their national customer satisfaction reports. However, Midco did appear in the 2022 J.D. Power report, where it ranked first in customer satisfaction in the North Central region with a score of 734 out of 1,000, ahead of AT&T with a score of 724.

The BBB gives Midco an A+ rating, but its customer rating is less favorable at 1.27 out of 5. While the low ratings are concerning, they are common among internet providers. By comparison, Xfinity, Frontier, and Spectrum have BBB customer ratings of 1.07, 1.05, and 1.09, respectively. Of the only 42 complaints filed with the BBB in the past three years, most concerns are about periodic service outages and billing issues. Again, this is fairly typical for internet providers.

On Allconnect, Midco has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 27 customer reviews. One user commented that “Midco is a great provider,” while another had reservations about the TV prices and yet another joked that the service “only works for about 4 hours a day, while the other 20 are spent polishing.”

Midco Internet Summary

Your experience with Midco will vary depending on the type of connection available—cable, fiber, or wireless—at your address. Landline wireless has the widest reach, but cable service is available in most homes. Those fortunate enough to have access to Midco’s expanding fiber network will have the best choice of speeds and service reliability.

Prices are competitive across all Midco connection types, even after the standard rates kick in after 12 months. The terms of service are also largely favorable, with no data caps or contracts, although equipment rental fees can add $11 to your monthly bill.

Midco Internet FAQs

What kind of internet is Midco?

Midco offers cable, fiber and wireless connections. The type of Midco service available will vary by address.

How much does Midco internet cost per month?

Midco’s introductory prices start at $39 per month for wireless and range from $29 to $99 for cable and $29 to $249 for fiber, depending on the speed tier you choose. After 12 months, prices increase to standard rates: $59 for wireless, $49 to $129 for cable, and $49 to $249 for fiber. Equipment rental (with optional cable and fiber) will add $11 to your bill.

Comcast, the parent company of Xfinity Internet service, owns about half of Midco in partnership with Midcontinent Media. But Midco’s Internet offerings are completely separate from Xfinity’s in terms of connection types, speeds, prices and terms of service.