A NM 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 Internet providers. NM businesses with busy websites will need a large national company that can provide mirroring and redundant connections for their websites.

The first consideration in making a New Mexico ISP comparison 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 New Mexico 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. New Mexico DSL is faster than a dial-up connection and usually allows dedicated access.

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

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

Locate a New Mexico ISP that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in New Mexico 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 New Mexico high-speed Internet provider that provides business class service. This ISP will allow you to scale your website according to size, traffic and functionality. Optimum offers a range of packages for businesses of different sizes and provides web hosting and ecommerce services.

Find ISPs in New Mexico that offer DSL service for your business

DSL packages for business owners are commonly available from a broadband Internet provider. New Mexico 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. 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 New Mexico

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

I recommend: ZiaNet provides a range of connection speeds up to a T1 line for businesses in more than two dozen communities in New Mexico. Lobo Internet Services provides Internet access to businesses in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, among others, using a variety of technologies.

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 hosted by your business ISP. New Mexico ISPs also offer multiple email addresses so that you can assign a separate one to each employee.