Business Internet Options Compared
How the main business connection types differ in price range, speed profile and typical use.
This table compares types of business internet, not specific providers. Price ranges are broad, illustrative planning figures for a single location and vary widely by address, contract length and promotions. Use them to judge whether a quote is in a plausible range, then confirm with written quotes from providers that serve your exact address.
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| Connection type | Typical monthly price range (illustrative) | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable broadband (business plan) | About $70 to $200 | Shared coaxial network delivering high download speeds, usually with much lower upload speeds | Small offices, retail and shops that mainly download and browse | Slower upload, speeds that can dip at busy times, price increases after promotions |
| Fiber broadband (business plan) | About $70 to $300 | Fiber to the premises, often with symmetrical upload and download speeds | Offices using cloud apps, video calls and large uploads | Limited availability, possible construction charges, longer installation lead time |
| Fixed wireless | About $50 to $150 | Radio link from a nearby tower to an antenna on the building | Rural or hard-to-wire locations, temporary sites | Line-of-sight and weather sensitivity, data policies, variable latency |
| 5G or LTE business internet | About $50 to $150 | Cellular network with a gateway device indoors | Backup lines, pop-up locations, quick setup | Signal strength varies by building, speeds fluctuate, possible deprioritization |
| Satellite internet | About $50 to $500 or more | Satellite link with a dish on the roof or site | Remote sites with no wired or fixed wireless options | Higher latency, equipment cost, plan limits that differ by tier |
| Dedicated internet access (DIA) | About $400 to $1,500 or more | Private, committed bandwidth with a contractual service-level agreement | Larger offices, hosting, telehealth and mission-critical systems | Long contracts, construction charges, price depends heavily on location and bandwidth |
| Ethernet over fiber (EPL, metro Ethernet) | Quote only, often higher than DIA | Private point-to-point links between sites | Connecting branch offices or data centers | Not an internet service by itself, custom pricing and long lead times |
| Residential plan used for business | About $50 to $120 | Consumer service without business terms | Home-based work and very small operations | May violate terms of service, no business support or SLA, shared performance |
Ranges above are illustrative and are not offers or current prices. Actual pricing depends on your address and the provider. Check the FCC broadband consumer label that providers display for many plans, and verify availability through the provider and through the FCC's National Broadband Map at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. For rules on billing practices, see the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.