Business Internet Access Companies

Consumers have variety of ways to gain access to the Internet. Businesses have equivalents to these, plus a some others not available to residential users. Let’s take a look at what’s available for companies with their own business addresses.

The most popular consumer broadband services are DSL and Cable for fixed locations and 3G for mobile use. 4G wireless is starting to become available, with CLEAR promoting it for both fixed and mobile use. Out in the boonies, Satellite broadband brings in a signal that you can’t get with wires. The fastest service, fiber optic, is deployed in selected areas by Verizon’s FiOS. It should also be noted that there are still consumers embracing dial-up access either because of cost or a very limited need for the Internet.

Businesses also have DSL, Cable, 3G and 4G mobile services, and Satellite Internet available to them. Like the consumer versions, you get a price break by sharing a bandwidth pool with other users. That means that the speed you’ll experience at any given time depends on how many other users are on the service and what they are doing.

There are a couple of features that interest business users much more than consumers. One is symmetrical bandwidth. Shared resource Internet access solutions typically offer much higher download speeds than upload speeds. That’s because most people are primarily reading web pages or downloading material such as books, music or movies. A limited upload speed is all you need to send commands to the servers providing this content. Businesses, however, often own the servers as well as use them. If you are sending material up to a server or another user as much as you are receiving such material, then a symmetrical bandwidth evens things out. Symmetrical DSL (SDSL) is typically available to business users but not consumers.

Businesses may also want static IP addresses. These are needed if you are running a server, so that other users on the Internet can easily find it through the DNS system. Normal consumer connections use dynamic IP addresses that are assigned from a pool owned by the Internet Service Provider and change from time to time. Most users have no ideal what IP address they are using and couldn’t care less as long as it works. IT managers, however, may well want static IP addresses for the servers, VoIP and VPN systems on their networks.

Many businesses may find that shared bandwidth causes way too much performance variation for their needs. The solution is dedicated bandwidth services that are generally available for business addresses but not residential users or home offices. These services include T1 lines, Ethernet over Copper, DS3, Ethernet over Fiber, SONET and Fixed Wireless. As business services, these dedicated Internet access solutions also have symmetrical bandwidth with equal upload and download speeds.

The other thing that should be noted about dedicated business bandwidth services is that they often come with SLAs or Service Level Agreements. Unlike the “best effort” offers for consumer grade broadband, a service level agreement spells out performance parameters and remedies if those are not met. Often, the commitment is for availability plus performance characteristics such as jitter, latency and packet loss.

Does your company need new or expanded Internet connectivity, or are you simply interested in seeing if better pricing is available at the bandwidth level you already have? If so, get pricing and availability of bandwidth solutions from a variety of business Internet access companies.

More Bandwidth, Less Money

What does every business want employees to provide? Higher productivity. The usual quip is "do more with less." Well, how would you like to really get more for less? You can do that with bandwidth. You get more Mbps from your WAN connection and pay less. Sound interesting?

I'll limit this discussion to WAN or Wide Area Network bandwidth, although it can easily apply to LAN or local networks as well. If you want to explore possible cost savings for your in-house networks, take advantage of the VAR Network to locate contractors in your area that have this expertise.

So, how is it possible to get more bandwidth for less money? Conventional wisdom is that the more Mbps you use, the more you pay. That's still true as a rule. But what makes you think you have the optimum solution now? Chances are you are paying more than you need to under your current contracts. Once you see what you may be missing out on, you'll have a tough decision to make. Either pay less for your current bandwidth usage or pay the same and get a higher bandwidth level.

The first thing that you may be missing out on is a true competitive marketplace for your communications services business. Many companies simply call the local telco or check the Yellow Pages to find somebody that can hook them up for voice and data line service. That will get you up and running, but the chances that you are getting the optimum pricing are unlikely.

What's a better way? Use a telecommunications broker like Telarus, Inc. to research the available options for your location and get you the best deal. You can access this service by calling a toll free number or using the GeoQuote (tm) online search tool available at T1 Rex. This service is available at no cost for companies with a valid business address and telephone number in the United States. What will Telarus do that you can't? They'll access a dozen or more competitive carries and get you an list of competitive quotes prioritized by lease price. They'll also work with you to better define your requirements if need be.

You know yourself that having a dozen offers to choose from is better than having just one place to shop - especially when that provider knows they are the only game in town. Well, they may not be the only carrier that services an area but perhaps the easiest one to find.

Here's another thing you may be missing out on. There are newer bandwidth services available that might not have been offered in your area even a year ago. Two that come to mind are Wireless Fixed Internet access and Metro Ethernet. The Wireless offering is an alternative to DSL for smaller businesses and is available in most business locations. Metro Ethernet offers high bandwidths for less cost per Mbps that competing services such as DS3 or SONET fiber optic. If your requirements are under 50 Mbps, you may be able to get EoC or Ethernet over Copper transport that doesn't require the expense of new fiber installation.

So how do you find out whether these new options or others may save you a bundle? Once again, just use the GeoQuote (tm) online search tool. Some types of services will give you an instant price online. Others need a little more investigation, but you'll soon get a reply from a friendly Telarus consultant. Chances are, you'll soon be enjoying more bandwidth for less money.