Arkansas Internet service providers, or ISPs, connect their customers to the Internet in exchange for a fee. A national ISP will grant access to subscribers in much of the nation while a local ISP will limit users to a specific geographic region.

A small business should consider a separate web hosting company to maintain its website instead of using the web space from the Internet providers in Arkansas. Businesses with high-traffic sites may require a large national company that can provide mirroring and redundant connections for their websites.

The first consideration in deciding which of the ISPs in Arkansas to use is the type of access you want:

1. Dial-up access uses a telephone line and is the slowest connection. You must dial in to the Arkansas ISP and you'll frequently have a limit on your connection time.

2. Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, access is also available through the phone in most areas. However, DSL is much faster than a dial-up connection and normally provides dedicated access.

3. Arkansas broadband providers have the fastest connections small business owners in Arkansas can generally afford. Internet services in Arkansas also offer high-speed cable Internet access.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate an ISP in Arkansas that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in Arkansas that provide an always-on cable connection are frequently the best deal for small businesses. Some national ISPs offer packages tailored to the size of your business.

I recommend: Cox's business division offers Internet service solutions for businesses of all sizes and allows you to customize your service with many additional options. Time Warner Cable is one Arkansas high-speed Internet provider that provides business class service. This ISP will allow you to scale your website according to size, traffic and functionality.

Find Arkansas ISPs that offer DSL service

Many ISPs design DSL packages for business owners throughout much of the nation. Businesses can bundle multiple services together, such as Internet and web hosting, to get a better deal from the ISP.

I recommend: EarthLink offers a range of services for businesses of different sizes and features symmetrical DSL, which allows you to upload as fast as you can download. Sprint Nextel offers a range of DSL technologies aimed towards small businesses including ADSL, IDSL and SDSL.

Check out the access packages from a local Arkansas Internet service provider

A rural business may have to depend on a small, local AR Internet service provider. ISPs in Arkansas frequently offer wireless DSL service for these businesses.

I recommend: Horizon Broadband provides several business packages with speeds up to 3 Mb/sec in Benton and surrounding areas. VueWireless in Searcy offers wireless access up to 1 Mb/sec to businesses.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use Internet service providers in Arkansas with a Tier 3 rating or better, especially if you are running a small business. The tier rating establishes the ISP's proximity to the Internet and generally how fast its access will be, all other things being equal. Tier 1 ISPs are linked directly to the Internet; Tier 2 ISPs lease their connections from Tier 1 ISPs and so on.