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

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

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

ISPs in Nevada 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 Nevada 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 provides web hosting and ecommerce services.

Find Nevada 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: Sprint Nextel has an extensive, secure network that covers most of the country and provides ADSL, IDSL and SDSL for businesses. 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 a local Nevada Internet service provider

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

I recommend: Via West in Las Vegas provides Internet access and other services for businesses in Nevada, including web hosting and colocation services. Comnett Computer Services is in Overton and offers high speed DSL to businesses in Moapa Valley.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use Internet service providers in Nevada 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.