BROADBAND SERVICE PROVIDERS
With so many internet services with their lucrative offerings, it becomes difficult to choose a service partner for your internet. With continuous inflation and rise in the cost of living, pockets are getting tighter. People are in search of ways to reduce our expenses and one of the ways to do the same is to save on your internet packages. To grab more customers, many internet providers are slashing package price and offering lucrating deals. Many ISPs have a complimentary introductory period to experience their service.
Internet Service Providers: What to Look For?
A. Connection Speed
This area causes the most confusion. Most home internet services tout fast speeds, or report speeds in multiples of standard dial-up speed or even in potential kilobits per second or megabits per second. However, reported speeds do not always match average performance speed; speeds vary greatly depending on the time of day and even your location. The posted speed is only the potential speed, not the actual average performance speed. We rated highest the services that can provide high-speed options such as cable or fiber optic connections coupled with good third-party tested speeds. The companies that offer dial-up rated higher if that company also provides faster DSL services.
B. Service Area
When looking at an ISP, check the number of subscribers that company has as an indication of the company’s longevity and potential to expand the existing infrastructure. Most urban areas have high-speed options such as cable or fiber optics available. Rural areas usually have a few dial-up, satellite or DSL choices. We tested the same four urban and four rural addresses with each ISP to get an idea of how broad an area it covers. We also made note of approximately how many access numbers are available for dial-up in rural areas; the more access numbers available, the better chance a customer has of securing a dial-up connection quickly and consistently.
C. Additional Features
This criterion is not as crucial as it was five or 10 years ago. Most people are now comfortable with free webmail options such as Gmail or Yahoo and do not need additional email accounts offered by the internet service provider. However, some ISPs provide extra benefits to using the branded email service such as extra online storage and spam and virus blocking. It is helpful if the provider can supply security software that is always up-to-date, as well as parental controls. A few of the large providers offer low-income internet solutions for families with young students, veterans and the elderly.
D. Support Options
Fast, helpful, knowledgeable support is critical. Look for services that provide numerous avenues of contact such as by phone, email and chat. Services that rely on physical components such as cables and modems should also provide responsive, local on-site support. Check to see if the company provides convenient tools such as online support documentation in regards to billing and service, and note if the company provides an easy-to-use online bill pay option.
Understanding of plans is crucial before selecting the package you need. To make your job easier and help you find the best internet services, here are listed down best broadband internet providers you can choose from:
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Comcast– The largest cable provider in the U.S., Comcast provides services to over 17 million internet customers at speeds of up to 105 Mbps. Comcast also provides additional features such as internet security and parental controls. Accounts come with 7 email accounts, but storage is limited to 10 MB per ea. Plans start at 29.9 dollars per month for 6 months.
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AT&T U-verse – Provides Internet, TV and phone or VoIP services that can be ordered standalone or in packages. AT&T is the only national internet provider with 100 percent IP technology, which delivers more variety and control
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Microsoft Online Services – Offers accelerated dial-up Internet for quick downloading of photos and documents. Included in the package are photo editing tools, Internet security tools and other Microsoft Network features.
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Charter – Charter declared bankruptcy and sold off assets to clear $8 billion worth of debt. Now it has over 5 million customers in 25 states with cable speeds up to 60 Mbps. Accounts include Internet security, parental controls, and ten 1GB email accounts. Charter does not offer services in the western mountain states. Plans start at 19.99 dollars per month.
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Cox – Cox provide cable Internet services to approximately 4 million customers in 16 states. It provides speeds of 3 to 50 Mbps. Accounts also feature 10 email addresses, security software, and responsive customer support. Plans start at 15.99 dollars per month for 3 months.
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Verizon – In terms of speed, there is just no beating Verizon FiOS. It offers up to 300 Mbps with its best plan, which happens to be double the speed of the next fastest company. Its plans also outdo all the others when it comes to upload rates, maxing out at 65 Mbps. If you don’t think you need a plan that is quite this fast, Verizon has four other plans ranging from 15 Mbps up to 150 Mbps that may be a better fit. Of course, speeds like these don’t come cheap, so be prepared to spend a little extra if you want Verizon FiOS.
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Time Warner Cable – Time Warner Cable serves 14 million customers in 39 states. Through its cable network, it delivers speeds up to 50 Mbps. Its Road Runner service delivers speeds from 768 Kbps to 30 Mbps. Plans start at 19.99 dollars per month.
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Mediacom – Offers a whopping 105 Mbps with its best cable Internet package, which is slightly faster than the speeds offered by XFINITY. Pricing is also pretty reasonable, which makes Mediacom a very appealing choice if you are looking for high speed internet on a budget. Mediacom also has excellent options if you are looking to bundle TV, phone, and internet services together as it offers several different bundle deals.
Above are some service providers with good performance, plans-packages, services and support options. All you need to do is to know what you expect from your service provider and make a choice.
