The effort that goes into getting your business up and running and achieving maximum productivity is undeniable. No business, big or small, is capable of reaching the top right off the bat. A number of factors are taken into consideration and important decisions with significant impacts are made to build an empire. And with the corporate sector embracing the digital transition faster than ever before, connectivity is a vital concern for all businesses.
Especially for businesses based in the Lone Star State, Texas. The biggest state of the south-central region of the United States boasts a huge Texan market for mega enterprises and new start-ups. The booming tech market is peppering with creativity and innovation. Gaining maximum productivity for a business requires an up-to-the-mark internet service and selecting the right business internet provider is necessary.
Every business requires a reliable internet connection to run its operations seamlessly and communicate effectively. And with e-commerce becoming a part of the tech-driven commercial landscape, the reliance on a trusted internet service has increased significantly.
Technological advancements in the state are resulting in an even heavier dependence on a well-performing internet connection to sustain maximum productivity levels and achieve maximum potential in business operations. This is why it’s only practical to avoid apathy when choosing a business internet provider in Texas. Being the 8th most connected state in the country, the residents of Texas are fortunate to have the best broadband infrastructure support to keep them connected.
This write-up hopes to help you learn how to assess options in your area, and make a smart decision when you’re shopping for a business internet plan. Keep reading to learn about the top business internet providers in Texas and how to know which one to pick!
The number of business internet providers in Texas has increased dramatically in the past few years. The state is served by hundreds of business internet providers, with businesses having access to at least 3-4 wired and wireless providers in their area. Texas residents have access to cable, DSL, fiber, and fixed wireless internet providers at their address. Cable is widely accessible and fiber connections are available to around 43% of Texans while wireless internet options like satellite and fixed wireless cover up to 86% of the state.
Two of the biggest names in the industry, AT&T and Spectrum are offering the best business internet services in the state along with incredible perks and support. Other big names powering businesses with high-speed connections and note-worthy customer experiences are EarthLink, Rise Broadband, Xfinity, Suddenlink, and CenturyLink.
Don’t fret if you’re overwhelmed with the number of options available to your business. Because we’re here to help you identify the factors to take into consideration to compare offerings and pick easily. Choosing the right business service provider can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Learn the factors that account for a good business internet provider and narrow down to the option that works best for your business.
Understanding your business’s internet service needs is vital to determine how much speed you need to get by. Small businesses might get by with minimal internet speed, but it won’t help much if they’re video conferencing all day or transferring large files on a regular basis. Likewise, a huge enterprise with hundreds of employees might be doing as little as basic emailing and small file transfers and still won’t suffice 1000 Mbps of speed.
To avoid getting stuck with too little or paying for too much, determine the speed requirements of your business. Regardless of the connection your business uses, the overall costs go up with bandwidth requirement, so understanding bandwidth is important. Listed below are bandwidth numbers that might help you understand how it usually works.
Speed | What you can do |
---|---|
15 to 25 Mbps |
Basic emailing, light file transferring, and web browsing. Ideal for small business operations with 2 to 3 employees |
25 to 50 Mbps |
Large file transfers, video conferencing, and point-of-sale transactions. Ideal for a five-person office. |
50 to 75 Mbps |
Large file transfers, video conferencing, point-of-sale transactions, data backups, video streaming, and peak hour internet usage. Ideal for businesses with 7+ employees. |
75 to 100 Mbps |
Along with basic internet usage, 75 to 100 Mbps will suffice for heavy video streaming and audio communications, high data usage, and bigger data backups. Ideal for collaboration for businesses with multiple employees. |
100 to 150 Mbps |
Perfect speed for growing businesses with more internet demand such as high data usage, e-commerce, and web hosting. |
150 to 500/1000 Mbps |
Enough speed to achieve all of the above and accommodate a bigger employee count and serve all internet demands. |
Keep in mind that bandwidth availability depends on the type of internet access and the provider available at your location. Get more information about the plans and pricing available at your business address before making a decision.
Unfortunately, we’re not living in an ideal world where we’d never have to stay in touch with our ISP post-service installation, so when you experience service issues, billing queries, upgrade inquiries, service add-ons or need any kind of technical support, you eventually will need to connect with your ISP’s customer support team.
Before signing up with any provider, research the kind of support and quality customer support experience they offer. Many giants will keep you on lengthy holds, make you sit with an automated operator, or transfer you to a third-party contractor, making you feel far from heard and you deserve better than that.
Your provider shouldn’t take a lot of time to respond to you and address your queries or solve your problems. Time is money for businesses so whether it’s waiting on a repairman to come and fix the equipment or being put on hold to get answers, your business shouldn’t suffer because of poor quality customer support. 24/7 available and responsive tech support is an undeniable need for businesses.
A service-level agreement (SLA) comes in handy to hold your ISP responsible when your expectations aren’t being met. It’s a commitment made between the customer and internet service provider that discusses guaranteed service factors such as response time, repair time, data packet loss, uptime, jitter, network availability, and network quality of service. Not all ISPs offer SLAs so doing careful research of any ISP’s SLA is important before signing up with one.
Backup protection is a huge concern for businesses. In case of any system or network crash, you’d want reassurance about the support and security coverage you’ll receive from the ISP. Many ISPs offer security features like cloud storage and maintenance to save your business data. Carefully research what security protocols the ISP offers your business before signing up with one.
One of the biggest deciding factors for businesses in today’s time is the availability of the service at their address. You are most likely to have access to a variety of options if wireline services are what you’re looking for. And there’s always availability of wireless connection options like Fixed Wireless and Satellite if your business is located in areas with limited wired internet options. Either way, do your research and determine which providers in your area offer before you compare and pick one.
How long is your business obligated to stay with the ISP? ISPs in Texas are flexible. Some offer contractual plans while others don’t believe in such a thing. The average length of any contract is two years, and if you’re lucky, you can get away with a shorter contract term. It’s also important for you to read into free trial periods and early termination fees (ETFs) while you’re at it.
When it comes to pricing, you’re most likely to find most providers offer plans in the same range, given the speed and connection type. The cost should be broken down based on the speeds and perks offered in a plan. ISPs charge more than just the monthly service fees. There are installation fees, the monthly rental fee for the equipment unless it comes included, data overages, and ETFs.
The cost also depends on the bandwidth you need. 1000 Mbps bandwidth does not make sense for a small business with basic online operations. You’re paying for more than you need. Weigh the pros and cons based on the aspects of your business.
We’ve rounded up the best business providers in the state of Texas that are widely accessible to small and big businesses alike, based on the factors discussed above. Check out what each provider offers and based on what’s available at your business address, pick the most suitable one that satisfies all your business needs!
Reach out to an AT&T business representative at 888-298-6080 to check availability in your area.
Reach out to a Spectrum Business Representation at 1-844-481-5997 and explore Spectrum internet offers.
Reach out to CenturyLink at 1-855-349-9310 to know about CenturyLink's Business plans.
Reach out to Suddenlink at 1-844-520-8978 to know about Suddenlink Business plans.
Reach out to Rise Broadband at 1-844-343-1169 to check the availability of Rise Broadband Business plans in your area.
We hope this guide helps you pick the right internet provider for your business in Texas. Knowing what your business needs will help you determine the kind of provider that checks off all the boxes on your list! And if you need any more help, don’t hesitate to reach out to the experts at 1-855-349-9328. They will help you learn about available plans in your area that fit your business needs!