A North Dakota 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 business ISP. North Dakota 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 ISP in North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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. North Dakota DSL is faster than a dial-up connection and usually allows dedicated access.

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

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

Locate a ND ISP that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 an Internet service provider in North Dakota 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: AT&T offers a package that combines DSL, VoIP, web hosting, networking and wireless Internet. You can determine if your specific location is in a service area by providing the telephone number of your business on its website. Sprint Nextel has an extensive, secure network that covers most of the country and provides ADSL, IDSL and SDSL for businesses.

Check out the access packages from local ISPs in North Dakota

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

I recommend: Extend America is in Bismarck and provides service packages for individuals up to large businesses. Northwest Communications Cooperative is in Ray and provides Internet access and web hosting services for businesses in the surrounding area.

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 ND ISPs also offer multiple email addresses so that you can assign a separate one to each employee.