South Carolina Internet service providers, or ISPs, provide 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 SC Internet service providers. 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 Internet providers in South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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. South Carolina DSL is faster than a dial-up connection and usually allows dedicated access.

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

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

Locate an Internet service provider in South Carolina that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in South Carolina 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 South Carolina high-speed Internet provider that has a cable access package specifically designed for small businesses. Conway is a South Carolina high-speed Internet provider that offers a premium business Internet package using cable. It also sells additional IP addresses, email address and web space separately.

Find ISPs in South Carolina that offer 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: Sprint Nextel has an extensive, secure network that covers most of the country and provides ADSL, IDSL and SDSL for businesses. Speakeasy offers a range of DSL technologies aimed towards small businesses including ADSL, ADSL2 and SDSL.

Check out the access packages from local Internet services in South Carolina

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

I recommend: Nuvox in Greenville builds Internet solutions around a Cisco-powered network specifically for businesses. PM Communications offers business class service over a wireless network in the Pageland 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 ISPs in SC also offer multiple email addresses so that you can assign a separate one to each employee.