Hawaii Internet service providers, or ISPs, connect 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 geographical region.

A small business should consider a separate web hosting company to maintain its website instead of using the web space from the Internet provider. Hawaii businesses with very 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 Hawaii high speed ISP to use is the type of access you want:

1. Dial-up access is the slowest connection using a phone line. You must dial in to get Hawaii Internet access, 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 and is a common type of high-speed Internet. Hawaii DSL is faster than a dial-up connection and usually allows dedicated access.

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

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

Locate a Hawaii ISP that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in Hawaii 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: Comcast is a Hawaii high-speed Internet provider that has a cable access package specifically designed for small businesses. Optimum offers a range of packages for businesses of different sizes and also provides web hosting and ecommerce services.

Find ISPs in Hawaii that offer DSL service 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: Speakeasy offers a range of DSL technologies aimed toward small businesses, including ADSL, ADSL2 and SDSL. The Verizon Small Business Center has high speed DSL connections with options for static IP addresses that allow businesses to host their own email and Web servers.

Check out the access packages from local ISPs in Hawaii

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

I recommend: Hawaiian Telcom provides high-speed Internet connections to businesses of all sizes on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu. Hawaii Wireless & Broadband offers businesses on the islands DSL speeds of up to 1.5kbps and will send a technician to your business to set up the network.

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. Most Hawaii Internet service providers also offer multiple email addresses so that you can assign a separate one to each employee.