Thanks for tuning into our guide to CenturyLink’s availability. I’ll be covering where you can get all their services!
To get this information, I’ve been doing plenty of homework on the matter. And with all that wrapped up, I’ll be bringing you all this information today:
- The key talking points
- Simply Unlimited Internet availability
- Simply Unlimited Internet plans and pricing
- Fiber Internet availability
- Fiber Internet plans and pricing
- Home Phone availability
- Home Phone plans and pricing
- Business internet availability
- Some frequently asked questions
Shall we get started?
Key Takeaways of CenturyLink’s Availability
Here are the main things to know about CenturyLink’s availability.
- CenturyLink’s services are available in 15 states across the US
- They cover most of the West, but also Florida
- CenturyLink doesn’t offer a wireless cell phone service
- You can get a home phone plan or internet
- CenturyLink Fiber is very limited in its availability at this stage
- CenturyLink recently split its availability with Brightspeed.
CenturyLink Simply Unlimited Internet Availability
Simply Unlimited is the regular, DSL (or cable) internet service from CenturyLink. So, not fiber. This is an older technology, but it’s much more widely available as fiber is still being rolled out across the US.
If you live in an area covered by CenturyLink’s internet service, it will probably be Simply Unlimited right now. Most of the coverage map is only on DSL as opposed to fiber at this point in time.
But what is that coverage area? Well, CenturyLink currently provides internet to 15 states [1]. You can see them here:
| Arizona | Colorado | Florida | Idaho | Minnesota |
| Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Mexico | North Dakota |
| Oregon | South Dakota | Utah | Washington | Wyoming |
On a map, you can get a clearer idea of the shape of CenturyLink’s coverage across the US:
We can see here that CenturyLink covers most of the western US, but there’s a big gap before Florida. Why is this the case? Well, previously, CenturyLink actually covered these states as well:
| Alabama | Arkansas | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana |
| Kansas | Louisiana | Minnesota | Michigan | Mississippi |
| New Jersey | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma | Pennsylvania |
| South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Virginia | Wisconsin |
That would have made CenturyLink’s coverage map look like this…
However, on October 3rd 2022, Brightspeed took over these states. So if you live in one of these, you’ll want to check out our article on Brightspeed internet instead.
This explains why there’s a big gap between the main CenturyLink coverage area and Florida!
Anyhow, it should be noted that just because you live in one of the states in blue above, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will be covered.
The one surefire way to find out if you can get CenturyLink internet, and which kind of speed you can get, is to enter your address on their website. This will display all the plans available at your home.
And speaking of speed, let’s take a closer look at that now…
CenturyLink Simply Unlimited Internet Plans
You usually won’t be able to choose which speed you’re able to get with CenturyLink Simply Unlimited. With DSL, CenturyLink will simply put you on as fast a speed as possible for your area.
Here’s a look at the kinds of plans you might expect from them:
| Download speed | Upload speed | Price per month |
| 20 Mbps | Up to 10 Mbps | $50 |
| 40 Mbps | Up to 10 Mbps | $50 |
| 60 Mbps | Up to 10 Mbps | $50 |
| 80 Mbps | Up to 10 Mbps | $50 |
| 100 Mbps | Up to 10 Mbps | $50 |
| 120 Mbps | Up to 12 Mbps | $50 |
| 140 Mbps | Up to 12 Mbps | $50 |
So why are they all the same price? It’s simply a matter of availability. Internet speeds are constantly growing around the country, but some parts are, of course, a lot faster (or slower) than others.
You’re more likely to end up with a slower speed if you live in a more rural area. More densely populated parts of the country are more likely to be served with better infrastructure and therefore faster internet speeds.
Upgrading your CenturyLink internet speed
The only time you will get a choice of speed is whether there is the potential for an engineer to upgrade the speed in your home, but this will come at a cost.
We found that at some addresses, there was an option to upgrade from 20 Mbps to 40 Mbps, for example. Even though the monthly fee for this was the same, the fee for setup was an additional $99
At that kind of speed, I’d still recommend paying the upgrade fee if you are offered it. I found out earlier that anything less than 50 Mbps could cause users some issues.
It’s only just enough for two simultaneous Ultra HD Netflix streams, for example. So if you live as a family of four, you’re probably going to struggle for bandwidth.
CenturyLink Fiber Internet Availability
The best value for money with any of CenturyLink’s internet services comes from its Fiber plans. However, right now, the availability of this service is very limited.
Fiber comes in two speeds with CenturyLink, 200 Mbps and 940 Mbps. 200 is a little more common across the US but still only covers a small percentage of the total CenturyLink internet coverage map. 940, on the other hand, is rather rare indeed at this stage.
You can actually only get Fiber 940 in a selection of cities right now. They are as follows [2].
| Boulder, CO | Denver, CO | Fort Meyers, FL | Idaho Falls, ID | Minneapolis, MN |
| Ocala, FL | Omaha, NE | Orlando, FL | Phoenix, AZ | Portland, OR |
| Salt Lake City, FL | Seattle, WA | Spokane, WA | Springfield, MO | Tucson, AZ |
Fiber is only being rolled out in cities because it’s an expensive and long-winded process to get it installed. So, internet companies focus on busier areas to roll it out to. And unfortunately, it could still be some time before CenturyLink begins to get fiber to more rural areas.
It is, however, cheaper to run once it’s set up. The maintenance cost is lower and therefore, the prices per month are lower even though the speeds are faster. Let’s find out more about that.
CenturyLink Fiber Internet Plans
There are two CenturyLink Fiber plans available right now [3]. Here they are:
| Internet Plan | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Price per month |
| Fiber Gigabit | Up to 940 Mbps | Up to 940 Mbps | $65/70 |
| Fiber 200 | Up to 200 Mbps | Up to 200 Mbps | $30 |
The top CenturyLink Fiber speed is actually slower than many other internet providers. AT&T, for example, is available to offer an amazing 5 Gig plan to its customers.
CenturyLink may well catch up with that one day but has no plans to do so at the time of writing.
You’ll also notice in the table above that the upload speed is the same as the download speed. This is a feature unique to fiber for the most part, and that upload speed could affect which plan you think would be best for you.
Which speed should I get?
I’d recommend the Fiber 200 plan to most people. 200 Mbps is quick. You’d be able to maintain multiple 4K streams and download files super quickly.
Furthermore, you’d be able to share files and stream your own video very easily as a result of the upload speed being the same as the download.
940 Mbps is only really going to be worth it for businesses. It would be more than enough for 10+ people.
CenturyLink Home Phone Availability
CenturyLink’s Home Phone plans are also available in all the areas that its internet is available. As a reminder, that includes the following states.
| Arizona | Colorado | Florida | Idaho | Minnesota |
| Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Mexico | North Dakota |
| Oregon | South Dakota | Utah | Washington | Wyoming |
Here’s a look at it on a map one more time too.
You should be able to get CenturyLink Home Phone in most of the blue area above, but not all of it. The availability depends on the infrastructure in each area, and it won’t cover all corners of the map.
You can always find out once and for all by reaching out to CenturyLink over the phone or through the live chat. We’ll show you how to do that a little later on.
Brightlink has also taken over the home phone services for the missing states between the main coverage area and Florida. Refer to the map earlier on in this article to see which states they are.
CenturyLink Home Phone Plans
To find out the CenturyLink landline plans available in your area, you’ll need to speak to them [4]. The plans vary from area to area, so the customer support team will be able to provide you with a quote. We’ll show you how to get hold of them in the next section.
The only information that’s available to find out without consulting is regarding bundles. You can bundle CenturyLink landline and internet plans together and potentially save yourself some money.
Again, you won’t be able to find an exact price this way. The website simply says that prices start from $90 if you bundle your home phone plan with Fiber 200.
And remember, there are likely to be additional fees on top of that.
CenturyLink Business Internet Availability
If you’re looking to provide internet to a business, you’ll need a different package. Luckily, CenturyLink serves small businesses well.
Luckily again, the availability for it is pretty good. You’ll be able to get business internet in all the same locations as you can get regular internet. So, that’s these states:
The Fiber situation is very much still the same though. Only 15 cities (those listed above) can get Business Fiber with CenturyLink.
Plus, you’re probably going to want to opt for the fastest speeds if you’re going to be supplying internet to several colleagues or employees. And that’s even rarer with CenturyLink.
Those who want superfast business internet with CenturyLink will probably be better off with a different provider if there is one available.
You can find out more about CenturyLink’s business services in our article here.
Get Started With CenturyLink
If you’ve worked out that one of CenturyLink’s internet plans are available in your area and are looking to get started, I’ve got you covered. It’s really easy to sign up. Just follow these simple steps:
- Confirm that the service is available: So far, so good? It’s time to find out once and for all which services you can get. To do that, go to the CenturyLink website and enter your address.
- Pick a plan: From the options presented to you, choose what you want to go with.
- Go to checkout: Now, it’s just time to enter your details, including your billing information. Hit the order button and you’re good to go! CenturyLink will be in touch with you regarding the next steps, such as installation.
If you’re looking into a home phone, you’ll need to speak to the support team to order your package. Here’s how.
How to contact CenturyLink customer support
If you have any questions about CenturyLink’s availability, signing up with them or anything else, you can speak to their support team. You can do this in two ways Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm local time:
- Over the phone: Simply give the number 800 244 1111 a call during office hours.
- Through live chat: You can use the instant messenger function on the CenturyLink website instead if you prefer.
CenturyLink Availability FAQ
Here are a few more things people have been wanting to know about CenturyLink’s availability.
Will CenturyLink Fiber be available in my area soon?
You may be feeling a little aggrieved if you can’t get a Fiber plan right now. Hopefully, CenturyLink rolls it out to you as soon as possible, but this could take a long time, especially if you live in a rural area.
Until then, it’s worth checking in with some other providers for fiber, as it tends to offer better value for money across the board.
Will CenturyLink offer a wireless network soon?
So far, CenturyLink hasn’t delved into the world of 4G or 5G, either for phones or for home networks.
It’s hard to say why this is the case, and they don’t appear to have any plans to get into it any time soon. Maybe one day though!
Last Thoughts on CenturyLink Availability
CenturyLink’s services may be a little limited in terms of the options you have, but they do represent good value for money. And they’re available in a lot of states, which makes them an accessible company for millions of people.
While you won’t be able to get CenturyLink in the far corner of all of those states, the coverage is good overall. They just have a bit of work to do for rolling out their Fiber plans!
If CenturyLink isn’t available where you are, you might have better luck with another internet provider. For example, Spectrum covers a huge area of the US. You can find out about their availability here.
