The Best DSL Service Providers for Small Businesses

DSL—Digital Subscriber Line—may not be the hot new internet connection of the moment (that would be fiber), but it’s far more likely to be available near your business (unlike fiber). Fiber coverage is still slowly rolling out across the US, while DSL high-speed internet access is almost everywhere, thanks to good, old-fashioned copper telephone lines.¹

Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, DSL internet access grew quickly because previous options like dial-up and T1 connections were either slow, expensive, or both. While the original foundation of the internet is built on fiber, the connection from providers to DSL modems in homes and businesses—referred to as “the last mile”—is mostly still made up of phone lines and, because of a ’90s innovation, coaxial cable TV lines.

Based on our research, Business.org recommends these DSL providers for small businesses.

DSL works within different frequencies of the thousands available through a phone line, so you can have high-speed internet service and a telephone conversation simultaneously. (Some of you may remember yelling at your mom to “Hang up the phone!” so you could get online—good times.)

For business purposes, DSL is still a reliable and readily available internet connection with equal upsides (relatively inexpensive, good for multiple users) and downsides (slow upload times, deteriorated service depending on distance from the internet provider). Also, along with cable internet—which comes with its own unique set of pluses and minuses—DSL might be your only high-speed broadband option, depending on the geographical location of your business.

Verizon serves up the best combination of business internet speeds, reliability, and support.

There’s also a wide array of extra services available, from cloud storage to high-end technical support, that could benefit your business in ways you may not have considered (such as having 24/7 support and security). Plus, Verizon’s customer service ratings are well above average.

Now here’s the big but: Verizon Business Internet’s DSL plans are s-l-o-w. For a modern workplace, even if it’s only for a couple of people, Verizon’s basic 3 Mbps and 5 Mbps plans are essentially useless. The 7 Mbps is only a slight improvement.

The 10–15 Mbps plan is the best Verizon can offer in DSL — while that’s a decent download rate, it’s no match for the company’s ultra-fast, fiber-optic Fios service (which, if available in your area, you might want to look into). If your business’s internet requirements are as basic as email and small file transfers, however, Verizon Business Internet DSL is a solid service.

Verizon serves up the best combination of business internet speeds, reliability, and support.

Although Verizon sells a few business DSL plans, none have speeds at 25 Mbps or more. For truly fast speeds, fiber is hard to beat. Verizon's fiber plans, branded Fios, offer you a chance at near-gigabit connections.

AT&T Business Internet isn’t the cheapest DSL service available, but it offers speeds and stability that’ll make it easy to overlook how much your business is paying for it.

For a small operation with a handful of employees conducting basic online business, like web browsing, email, and minimal data transfers, AT&T’s Internet 25 plan (25 Mbps download speed; 1.5 Mbps upload) is a solid choice at $40 per month. Above that, there are three more tiers, topping out with the Internet 500 plan (500 Mbps download speed; 8 Mbps upload), which is more powerful than anything else we’ve found in the DSL realm—and, of course, more expensive at $300 per month.

But at least AT&T Business Internet lets you know what you’re getting into—details of its DSL plans are plainly spelled out and easy to understand, unlike those of some other providers. Also, AT&T's plans won’t follow you or your business to the grave, as the contracts are just 12 months long, with a 30-day money-back guarantee and free installation thrown in.

All of this, plus a 99.90% uptime guarantee, helps offset AT&T’s relatively pricey buy-in. If you’re looking for the next-best business alternative to fiber speeds, this is it.

CenturyLink Business Internet is available in most of the US, the most glaring exceptions being California and New York. If your company does happen to reside in a CenturyLink service area, however, you’d be able to take advantage of its speedy DSL plan at a budget-friendly price.

You read it right, though: there is only one DSL Business Internet plan at CenturyLink right now as the company transitions to fiber plans. The DSL plan starts at $50.00 a month for a 100 Mbps download speed, which is a pretty fair offering.

As speed-to-price ratios go, CenturyLink’s are tough to beat in the DSL field.

CenturyLink doesn’t provide details on upload speeds, which are important to know if your business is conducting online activities like large file transfers, video conferencing, and heavy Wi-Fi usage.

But in DSL service, you can typically figure upload speeds to be roughly a 10th of download speeds: 10 Mbps down would be about 1 Mbps up, 100 Mbps down would be about 10 Mbps up, etc. CenturyLink also provides some nice perks for a new business, like two licenses for Microsoft Office 365 Business Essentials and 20 GB of data backup with their plans.

Despite its encroaching extinction, there are still plenty of viable DSL internet plans out there to get your business functioning online, especially if you’re just starting up and looking to stay on budget. It’s also the fastest and most stable option available to most of the US at the moment—just review your needs, and do your homework, first.

We analyzed each business internet service provider's affordability, overall value, suitability for growing businesses, ease of use, and customer service, among other factors.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.

• 1–15 Mbps: A one-person operation sending emails and the occasional file could get by on an under 15 Mbps connection, but just barely.
• 15–25 Mbps: For larger file transfers, minor point-of-sale transactions, and the basic internet needs of two to three employees, 15 to 25 Mbps could suffice.
• 25–50 Mbps: A five-person office conducting large file transfers and more POS transactions, as well as some video conferencing, could run smoothly with 25 to 50 Mbps.
• 50–75 Mbps: Seven or more could collaborate online at 50 to 75 Mbps, a plus for remote workers. Data backup and transfer stability also come into play.
• 75–100 Mbps: Moving into ten-and-up employee territory, 75 to 100 Mbps could handle more audio and video streaming connections, as well as Wi-Fi usage.
• 100–150 Mbps: The 150 Mbps range could accommodate more internet demand, like web hosting, e-commerce, and increased data usage, as well as more users.
• 150–500 Mbps: As far as DSL is concerned, 150 to 500 Mbps is as fast as you’re going to get, and a medium-sized office could squeeze plenty of online business out of it. Add any more bandwidth load, however, and you’ll want to consider upgrading to a fiber internet connection.

If you’re thinking, “Residential internet hookups are cheaper than business connections, so I’ll just get by with that for now,” think again. Business internet is designed for business, with higher (or no) data caps, faster available speeds, and service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee refunds or sometimes even early contract exits should your connection go down and affect your business.

Residential DSL internet, in which the “D” is not for “dedicated” (meaning you’re sharing bandwidth with the neighborhood), promises little beyond being able to check your email and watch Netflix—maybe even at the same time.

Choosing an internet service provider for your business should involve asking about more than just prices and speeds. For example, try these questions:

• Will customer service and technicians be available 24/7?
• What’s the provider’s annual predicted downtime?
• Are there data caps in place?
• How long is the contract?
• What are the fine-print terms of service?
• How will the recent repeal of net neutrality affect your service?
• Should you bundle your internet with other services, like phone and TV?
• Should you get a dynamic or static IP address?
• Are email, cloud storage, or virtual private network (VPN) services available or included?
• Should you rent or buy the necessary connection equipment?
• Does the ISP provide anti-spam, antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-malware, or backup services?
• Is website hosting or point-of-sale connectivity available or included?