A service that provides high-speed Internet in Connecticut connects subscribers to the Internet in exchange for a fee. A national ISP will allow access to customers in much of the nation while a local ISP limits its customers 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 its Connecticut ISP. 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 CT ISP to use is the type of access you want:

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

2. Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, access is available through the phone in most areas. DSL is faster than a dial-up connection and usually allows dedicated access.

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

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

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

ISPs in Connecticut 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: Time Warner Cable is one Connecticut high-speed Internet provider that offers business class service. This ISP will allow you to scale your website according to size, traffic and functionality. Conway is a Connecticut high-speed Internet provider that offers a premium business Internet package using cable. It also sells additional IP addresses, email address and web space separately.

Find a service that offers DSL in Connecticut for your business

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: Qwest offers DSL connections along with many other Internet services for small businesses. Speakeasy offers a range of DSL technologies aimed at small businesses, including ADSL, ADSL2 and SDSL.

Check out the access packages from local ISPs in Connecticut

A rural business may have to depend on small, local Internet service providers. Connecticut ISPs frequently offer wireless DSL service for these businesses.

I recommend: Compu-Tech in Weathersfield offers a range of ADSL services geared toward small businesses in Connecticut. IMC Internet in North Haven provides high-speed DSL and builds firewalls and virtual private networks for businesses.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check your ISP's terms of service for website size limitation if you plan to have a large website. You will also need to ensure that your ISP permits commercial websites if you wish to have a website for your small business. A high-speed internet provider in CT for business usually offers multiple email addresses so that you can assign a separate one to each employee.
• •  Use ISPs with a Tier 3 rating or better, especially if you are connecting to a business Internet. Connecticut ISPs that link directly to the Internet are Tier 1; Tier 2 ISPs lease their connections from Tier 1 ISPs and so on.