Internet options on Little Gasparilla Island include Starlink, 5G/4G LTE cell service from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, a broadband WISP that serves primarily the bay side, and satellite internet.
After using many devices on LGI (Verizon, ATT, T-mobile, Suncoast, and Starlink) the best Internet service for Little Gasparilla Island internet is Starlink! We first got Starlink on LGI in 2022. It blew our minds the first day we got it -- we spent most of the water taxi ride over talking Emmett's ear off about how amazing the technology was -- and it has gotten faster, lower latency, and better since then! If you don't already have Starlink on the island, here is our Starlink Referral Link for one month free service right now.
Starlink is easy to setup as long as you have a view of the sky. And it's fast! Starlink download speed on LGI ranges from 100+mbps to 250+mbps; sometimes faster. Starlink upload speed is 10-20mbps typically and sometimes faster. Latency is lower than 4G/LTE and has gotten much more consistent recently. And Starlink has been very reliable compared to other options.
We would recommend plugging your Starlink into a UPS if possible (uninterruptible power supply) such as an APC or Eaton 5S1500. We've had good luck with these.
Another option for those with a line of sight to their tower is Suncoast Broadband. Suncoast has a a better pricing model than 4G LTE, low latency, you don't have to closely watch a bandwidth meter like with cellphone internet, and it offers reasonably fast speeds and different plans to choose from at good prices.
Cellular options can provide faster upload speed if you really need upload speed. With careful placement, I got 40mbps upload consistently using Verizion. However, Starlink's download speed is faster and in general, Starlink's upload speed is usually plenty fast. When I fist came to LGI, I tested both Verizon and AT&T 4G LTE using mobile hotpots from each company, and both worked reasonably well. Elevation generally yields faster speeds, and in a lower house I did have to move the hotspot around some to get a solid signal. It's good to have coverage from two providers, and nice to be able to check in on things at different points around the Island or when walking north to the Don Pedro State Park. I have summarized some tests at different places on Little Gasparilla Island on this page. 5G/4G LTE works well for vacationers since most already have an AT&T or Verizon device which can be used and tethered or used as a mobile hotspot. I later tested T-mobile on the Island, which worked but was not as well for me as Verizion or AT&T.
As a backup to the above, there is also traditional high-latency satellite such as Viasat (exede) or Hughesnet, but these have high latency.
There was landline telephone service provided by CenturyLink who maintained a truck on the island for many years, but no DSL, cable, or fiber. Palm Island is served by extremely fast comcast cable and Internet, but it's not available on LGI. Some people on the Island are working to try and get fiber to serve LGI for more affordable and easy Internet for those who need or want it; talks were reported by the LGPOA in the past trying to get Comcast or Centurylink to provide broadband, but this did not happen to date. For now, Starlink would be my first choice, without hesitation.