A Mississippi Internet service provider, or ISP, provides customers access to the Internet for a fee. National ISPs can reach subscribers in much of the nation while local ISPs serve customers in a specific geographic region.

A small business will generally use a separate web hosting company to maintain its website instead of using the web space from the service that provides the Internet access. Mississippi businesses with busy websites will need a large national company that can provide mirroring and redundant connections for their websites.

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

1. Dial-up access is the slowest Internet connection and uses a telephone line. You must dial in to get Mississippi Internet access, and you'll frequently 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. Mississippi DSL is faster than a dial-up connection and usually allows dedicated access.

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

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

Locate Mississippi broadband coverage for small businesses

ISPs in Mississippi 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: Optimum offers a range of packages for businesses of different sizes and also provides web hosting and ecommerce services. Time Warner Cable is one Mississippi 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 a Mississippi ISP that offers 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: The Verizon Small Business Center has high-speed DSL connections with options for static IP addresses which allow businesses to host their own email and Web servers. Sprint Nextel offers a range of DSL technologies aimed at small businesses, including ADSL, IDSL and SDSL.

Check out the access packages from local ISPs in Mississippi

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

I recommend: Firenet1.com offers satellite Internet in Mississippi with the equivalent of a T1 connection. DSL by Air specializes in residential and business Internet access to rural areas along the Gulf Coast as indicated by the coverage map on its website.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check your ISP's terms of service for the website size limitation if you have a large website you want hosted by a business Internet service. Mississippi Internet service providers frequently offer multiple email addresses so that you can assign a separate one to each employee.