Starting a Business? 5 Factors When Choosing a Business Internet Service Provider

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, IT Strategy (30-slide PowerPoint presentation). The key drivers of Information Technology (IT) or Management Information Systems (MIS) value are an organization's IT mindset and its ability to execute. Today’s best practices show that IT value can be maximized when enterprise IT investments are aligned with business goals and IT execution is [read more]

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For most businesses, Internet access is just as important as any other utility. While it’s true you need to keep the lights on and the heat running, a poor Internet connection could run a business into the ground. Some companies simply can’t operate without reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi.

In addition to brick-and-mortar business needs, an increasing number of freelancers and independent contractors that work from home need to be online at all times for their clients.

What to Consider When Choosing an Internet Service Provider

After reading our article, Australians should compare Internet providers with iSelect. When doing so, consider their connection availability, speed, cost, reliability, and connection type.

1. Connection Availability

If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, you’ve likely set up shop in a big city, but if you’re opening a small Mom-and-Pop shop in a rural area, you’ll have to consider connection availability. Freelancers who operate in a small town should never underestimate the power of good Wi-Fi.

Your Internet provider won’t do your business any favors if they won’t provide service in your area. Unfortunately, your options are few once you leave the city. If it’s available, try to find the best satellite options first and broadband second. If 4G-LTE is available, opt for this instead.

2. Internet Speed

Depending on your business model, you’ll either need lightning-fast speeds (i.e., eCommerce or software development) or decent speeds (i.e., marketing or accounting). As a general rule, customers prefer the fastest speeds possible, so if you service clients, opt for decent speeds.

Having a faster Internet connection is better than not having one, but if you’re just starting or you don’t have a front-facing business, you can get away with a decent connection for now. To compare speed, look at “bandwidth,” which is the volume of information transmitted per second.

3. Cost of Plan

The cheapest plan will likely offer you a bare-bones connection speed and usually operate via a DSL or dial-up through a landline phone. More expensive plans often come with all the bells and whistles, such as Fiber Optics or high-speed Internet, depending on where you live.

Unless you live in an area where a fiber connection was previously installed, you’ll need to pay for the installation both inside and outside of your business. If you’re looking for speed and reliability and don’t care about costs, a fiber connection is the best choice, followed by 5G.

4. Connection Reliability

When it comes to serving your customers, reliability is likely the biggest factor. Unreliable Internet may be cheap, but it’s stressful to use for everyone. If you can’t risk Internet service interruptions, consider an Internet service provider that offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA).

AN SLA contract will specifically state how reliable your provider’s connection should be, either throughout the day or overall. Businesses need to focus on reliability if they use servers or have to contact their clients. Otherwise, they’ll be left in the dark for hours or days in some cases.

5. Connection Type

The longer it takes for your Internet to arrive to your computer, the slower your connection will be. However, some businesses won’t have a choice but to use these ineffective methods due to their location or price point. Fiber Optics, 5G-LTE, and 4G-LTE are among the fastest.

Both LTE and Fiber Optics use electricity lines, which are set up and operated on Earth. Fiber Optics is a faster way to receive data transmissions but also functions like LTE. Satellite Internet, one of the slowest, uses signals transmitted from satellites in the Earth’s orbit.

Dial-up, a mostly defunct Internet connection, uses phone lines, which are unable to receive a signal without cutting off a landline telephone connection. You’ll probably only find dial-up in rural communities where there are no LTE transmission towers near the area.

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