Name: TDS Telecom Internet Review 2024
Item: TDS Telecom Internet Review 2024
Rating: 3.5

TDS Telecom Staff Review

3.5

TDS Telecom is all over the map with its performance

TDS Telecom ranks 16th in size among U.S. internet providers, with about half a million customers [1]. With over 100 subsidiaries and serving communities in 30 states, the company is a patchwork of systems and technologies across suburban and rural areas [2]. That means your TDS Telecom plan speeds and prices will vary widely depending on where you live. If you get TDS Telecom Fiber internet, you may be very happy with your gigabit speeds. But if you get their DSL with speed of less than 10 Mbps, your internet activities will be very limited. In addition to DSL and fiber internet, TDS Telecom also offers some cable internet. What you get will be completely area-specific, which makes it harder to give one overall review or recommendation for TDS Telecom service. Let’s take a more in-depth look at the details of TDS Telecom’s plans.

Pros

Fiber offers symmetrical gigabit speeds Available in rural areas that lack internet options No data caps on fiber or cable plans

Cons

Fiber not available in many parts of service area DSL may be too slow to support some internet activities Pricing varies by area

Pricing

3.5

Pricing varies by locality

One of our rating criteria for providers is how clear and consistent they are willing to be with their pricing. In some ways, TDS Telecom’s prices are clear. Once you put in your address and get your plan options, you can click through to get a clear explanation of your chosen plan’s pricing structure. Thanks to the FCC Broadband Labels posted under the plan description, you can also find out the difference between your promotional rate and the standard rate you will get after it expires [3]. But it’s hard to see a simple side-by-side comparison, thanks to a user screen full of click options to determine whether you want to bundle, which services you want to bundle, and whether or not you want to choose “Price for Life” internet. Yes, “Price for Life” internet sounds pretty good. In Winsted, MN, you can currently get 1 Gig Fiber Internet for a fixed price of $74.98 forever, or at least as long as you keep subscribing. Not bad. But it takes jumping through a lot of internet hurdles to get all the details, then you have to jump back out to see details for the lower-speed tier plans. Because of the lack of transparency on local pricing differences, we can’t give TDS Telecom top marks for pricing. Their site navigation makes it too hard to figure out who is or is not going to get a good deal based on geographical location. So, look at your Broadband label closely to see what you are getting in your town, especially what your standard rates will be after the promotions end. For the packages we were able to dig up with sleuthing, the price hikes are about $20-25 after the promotional period. And with a two-year price lock, you’ll enjoy that promo rate for a long time. Just be aware that in all cases when a provider sells more than one internet technology, their fiber is likely to be a better deal in every way than their DSL.

Reliability and Performance

3.5

Speed varies widely by technology type

TDS Telecom offers fiber internet and DSL internet, with some cable internet mostly in western states including Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Their DSL footprint scatters across the U.S. and reaches the largest number of households [4]. This is no surprise given that most of TDS Telecom’s subsidiaries are phone companies, and the technology that runs through copper telephone lines is DSL. Areas where DSL is more dominant include rural southern states such as Mississippi and Alabama, north Georgia, and north Florida. Fiber availability roughly follows the DSL footprint, but with less coverage [5]. TDS Telecom is building fiber over their DSL networks and installing new fiber as quickly as possible [6]. Pay close attention to which technology you can get, if you are considering TDS Telecom. DSL is the oldest technology still in wide use on the market. TDS Telecom has a couple of DSL plans with technology so slow they will raise your eyebrows, such as Life Internet (only up to 1 Mbps) and Express Internet (up to 5 Mbps). If these are your choices, we recommend you consider satellite internet instead. There are higher speed DSL plans on offer as well, but because your speed will depend on your neighborhood, make sure you understand the speeds on offer. If you get TDS Telecom fiber internet, you are almost certain to be very happy with the speed and reliability. With fiber’s equal upload and download speeds, you will have plenty of bandwidth for all types of internet activities. This provider offers an unusual array of fiber speeds, ranging from lows of 25 and 50 Mbps fiber plans all the way up to 2 Gigs. 25 and 50 Mbps Fiber plans may be a little slow for heavy HD streaming or gaming in a large household, even with symmetrical speeds. If you have four or five people online in your home, you probably want to get at least 100 Mbps.

Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features

3.5

Equipment rental will add to cost, but you can use your own router

Standard Wi-Fi equipment from TDS Telecom will run you $12.00 per month on top of your monthly plan fee. If you want TDS Whole Home Wi-Fi, which includes mesh router equipment, you can rent it for $14.95/month [7]. You can avoid these high extra fees if you buy your own router, as long as it is compatible with TDS Telecom’s network technology. Installation costs $49.95, but the fee is often waived through various promotional offers. Oddly, there is a “cost recovery” fee on some plans of $2.99 a month. TDS Telecom will summarize all these extra fees for you clearly -- but be aware that your monthly bill may be higher than the basic plan fee.

Customer Experience & Support

3.5

Fiber customers are happy, DSL customers less so

TDS Telecom is yet another provider too small to appear on national surveys for customer service, but large enough to collect a number of customer reviews online. Their fiber internet reviews are very good. TDS Telecom Fiber customers report satisfaction with internet performance and with their pricing [8]. Colorado cable internet users were positive overall, though they had some complaints about customer service [9]. Though there are a few complaints of slow DSL, by far the most customer dissatisfaction seems to come from customer service issues. TDS Telecom will need to improve its responsiveness and billing to raise its scores in this area. Overall, TDS Telecom can’t earn the highest score in our rating system simply because there is too much variation in their product and service from area to area. The best advice here is to see what they can offer you locally. If you can get TDS Fiber, that will be a strong choice. Otherwise, check your other options.

FAQ's

Yes, TDS Telecom offers fiber in some of its service areas, but not all. Rural, less-populated areas are less likely to have fiber.

If you use a standard router provided by TDS Telecom, you will pay an extra rental fee of $12/month. Whole Home Wi-Fi, a mesh router system, costs $14.95/month. You also have the option of using your own compatible router.

No, there are no required contracts or early termination fees.

TDS telecom places no data caps on fiber and cable plans, but DSL users may face a data cap of 250 GB.

TDS Telecom is available in 30 states across the U.S.