ISPs in Maine are myriad; select with care. There is considerable variation in costs and services provided. Make your selection with the assumption that your business will grow, because changing Maine Internet providers can lead to site unavailability and misuse your human resources.

Internet activity is integral to many businesses' strategic plans. Purchase the highest quality service that your business can afford. The quality of Internet service Maine businesses require must be extremely dependable. Low dependability could lead to difficulties which reflect badly on your entire business.

1. Select from dependable ISPs in Maine that have a strong history and will likely provide service for a long time. Of course there are no assurances, but name brands are a good start.

2. Determine how well integrated your business and the Internet will be. The more critical your Internet presence, the more important is live customer service when selecting from among Maine ISPs.

3. Note what mission-critical needs Maine Internet providers must offer. For example, estimate how much bandwidth your customers and you need, what site availability guarantee you require and whether you need automated feature installations.

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

Acquire DSL service from a Maine Internet services provider

DSL may be a trustworthy answer to your business' Maine Internet requirements. While DSL costs more than dial-up, it is competitive with cable and is not susceptible to traffic levels.

I recommend: DSL Broker provides a search for DSL Internet in Maine based on your telephone number. Marchex, Inc. offers suggested DSL Maine Internet service providers.

Select cable service for Maine high speed Internet

Cable Internet service can give file transfer speeds comparable to DSL. Often, it is faster than DSL although possibly not as reliable. Cable file upload speeds are lower than DSL, which could be an issue if you or your clients frequently upload sizable files such as video.

I recommend: One Maine ISP offering cable Internet service is Comcast, which BuyTelco features. You can use Broadbandinfo.com to locate cable Maine Internet services.

Investigate purchasing a T1 connection from Maine internet providers

T1 lines provide Internet connections with high speed and high bandwidth at a price small to medium sized businesses can usually afford. These lines may be more expensive, but they provide reliable speed and service.

I recommend: Telarus, Inc. allows you to get T1 service quotes online. An alternate source of quotes is PK Consulting, Inc.

Look into a satellite Maine ISP

Many Maine companies are in rural areas which may lack DSL and cable providers. Some suburban areas may even suffer from poor availability of such services. Satellite Internet is as fast as cable and DSL but has the disadvantage that bad weather can sometimes interfere with the service.

I recommend: DirecTV and Direcway, which EverythingDSL recommends, are ISPs in Maine who provide satellite Internet service.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Look for ISP providers in Maine who offer an unlimited amount of email addresses.
• •  Choose an Internet service provider in Maine who can provide around-the-clock customer support.