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

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

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

ISPs in Oklahoma 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: Conway is an Oklahoma high-speed Internet provider that provides a premium business Internet package using cable. It also sells additional IP addresses, email address and web space separately. Time Warner Cable is one Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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: Speakeasy offers a range of DSL technologies aimed towards small businesses including ADSL, ADSL2 and SDSL. Qwest offers DSL connections along with many other Internet services for small businesses.

Check out the access packages from a local Oklahoma Internet service provider

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

I recommend: 4D Networks offers speeds up to 10 Mbps as an inexpensive alternative to T1 connections for small- and medium-sized businesses. Airosurf Communications in Edmond offers a range of commercial options to businesses that may not have access to cable.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use Internet service providers in Oklahoma 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.