Businesses need a steady internet connection because today almost all the communication is dependent on the internet whether you are working offshore or in the same office. The significance of an internet connection for the survival or at least to keep the functionality in momentum is undeniable and this is exactly when they search for the most recommended business internet connection.
Before we dive into the details of the best internet connections in the US. Let us first comprehend the fundamental criteria for selecting an internet service provider for your business. There are various factors that need to be considered while researching as to why a particular internet service provider is unanimously America’s favorite. It may appear convenient for most of us to have a look at the prices, speeds, and packages to finally take the right decision but at the same time considering customer support is as important as any other factor. Customer service could be easily determined through ACSI standard index, anything above average is considered a satisfactory service provider, for example, spectrum customer service has been rated 62 out of 100, making it one of the most satisfactory service providers throughout the US. Again, choosing an internet connection for a household involves a lesser amount of risks as compared to signing up for a business regardless of its size.
Not choosing the right internet connection can cause bigger repercussions and affect the business monetarily by reducing the overall productivity and/or losing a business deal by not meeting a deadline or missing out on a meeting due to the unavailability of reliable internet. Going for an internet connection that is not appropriate for the business needs may also bring poor execution of plans, and unnecessary headache. Fundamentally, there are two types of internet connections for businesses; one is a shared network and the second one is a dedicated network.
As the name indicates, the shared network is an internet connection that is shared in order to keep the cost low, higher download and upload speeds, and maximum availability by small enterprises, retail business, or as a backup connection in bigger organizations. And just like anything that comes at low cost, it has its downside too. Such connections are not very balanced which means higher download speed and lower upload speed – transferring bigger files, cloud backups, and streaming can be severely affected. Then comes the dedicated network, as the same says it all – this internet connection is dedicated to one business – usually big organizations. It is relatively expensive but the quality is incredible as it does not compromise on bandwidth and performance. We shall give a comparative overview of both networks to give you a better idea, so you can make the best decision for your business.
Comparison Internet Services for businesses.
| Type of Connection | NetworkType | Speed | service-level agreement | Quality of Service | Dependability | Access Through | Best Execution | Pricing |
| DSL | Shared | Irregular | No | Low | Low | Copper | Web, Email, Backup, Low QoS | Low |
| Cable | Shared | Irregular | No | Low | Low | Copper/Coax | Web, Backup, Low QoS, Email. | Low |
| Shared Fiber | Shared | Irregular, Balanced | No | Low | Average | Fiber | Web, Basic Cloud, Low QoS, Email, Backup. | Low |
| 4/5G Wireless | Shared | Irregular | No | Low-Average | Average | Wireless | Web, Backup, Low QoS, Email. | Low |
| Satellite | Shared | Irregular | No | Low | Low | Wireless | Web, Email, Backup, Low QoS, Redundancy | Low |
| T1 | Dedicated | Balanced | Yes | High | High | Copper | High QoS, Low Bandwidth Applications VOIP. | Regular |
| Dedicated Ethernet | Dedicated | Balanced | Yes | High | High | Fiber, Copper | High QoS, Cloud, VOIP, Data Backup, Video. | Regular to High |
| Fixed Wireless | Dedicated | Balanced | Yes | Average | Average | Wireless | Average QoS, Cloud, Backup, VOIP. |
The recommendations on the usage of speed may vary, here are the guidelines for the speed you will require to run business efficiently. While buying any internet connection whether for a household or business – one needs to comprehend the anatomy of internet consumption through common online activities to get the closest estimate and subscribe to a reliable internet connection. This will directly affect the speed and cost of the internet too, so it’s better to research, and analyze beforehand rather than paying more due to wrong calculations.
Internet speed and its best utilization
| Downloading speed of internet | Number of devices or users connected. | What can be done |
| 25 Mbps | 3 – 5 | Basic Wi-Fi, downloading large files, business interactions. |
| 75 Mbps | 5 – 10 | Frequent file sharing, streaming, and multiple POS exchange. |
| 150 Mbps | 10 – 15 | Video conferences, Regular cloud computing, and online data backups |
| 250 Mbps | 15 – 20 | Smooth streaming, hosting of server, and conference calls. |
| 500 Mbps | 20 – 30 | Continuous cloud-based computing, hosting of multiple servers, heavy online data backups. |
| 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps) | 30 plus | Maximal speed functioning for enterprise-ready offices with almost zero interruptions |
Now that you have a clear idea about internet consumption, it would be easier for anyone to decide the amount of speed that is required for their businesses according to its size and the number of people that are going to use it on daily basis. Underneath, we are going to enlist someone of the best business internet connection providers in the market. You can compare and learn more about each provider to build a better understanding of which one is most suitable for your business.
Top high-speed Internet Service Providers for businesses
| ISP name | Downloading speed |
| Verizon Fios Business | 100 – 940 Mbps |
| Spectrum Business | 100 – 940 Mbps |
| AT&T Business | 25 – 1,000 Mbps |
| Comcast Business Internet | 25 – 1,000 Mbps |
| Frontier Business | 100 – 1000 Mbps |
| Viasat Business | 35 – 100 Mbps |
As of 22nd December 2019 in effect. Deals and accessibility can vary from location to location and are subject to change.