Next on our list of service provider reviews is the recently created CenturyLink.

Although the name is relatively new, CenturyLink was created after the July 1, 2009 acquisition of Embarq by CenturyTel, CenturyLink is the largest independent telecommunications provider in the country.  Now available in 33 states across the country, CenturyLink is also the fourth largest telecommunications provider overall.

Building upon the history and achievements of both CenturyTel and Embarq, CenturyLink is a national competitor in the entertainment and communications industry.  After last year’s acquisition and rebranding, CenturyLink offers DSL high speed Internet, home phone service with unlimited local and long distance, and digital TV with local, premium and HD channels across the country.  CenturyLink customers can even get the NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ through a partnership with DIRECTV.

Check and see if you can get phone, TV and Internet with a CenturyLink “Triple Savings Bundle” by entering your address in our “Savings Widget” .

In an attempt to keep you, the consumer, informed of service provider capabilities, Allconnect will be publishing periodic service provider “reviews”.  It’s not an attempt to sway your buying power toward one provider over another.  It’s simply our way of letting you know what’s available in your area.

Going alphabetically, we’ll start by looking at AT&T U-verse® and AT&T bundles.

The latest in a long line of innovation, AT&T U-verse® is AT&T’s latest bundle and its direct answer to the cable bundle.  Marketed as the “evolution of TV”, AT&T U-verse® operates like a traditional phone, TV, Internet bundle by offering a combined solution with advanced digital TV, high speed Internet, and digital phone service.   However, AT&T U-verse® relies on its sophisticated home network to deliver the different services throughout your home.

Using a blend of fiber optics and AT&T’s advanced digital network, AT&T U-verse® actually delivers your phone and television over the Internet.  Officially called Internet Protocol Television, IPTV allows you to accept standard and hi-def broadcasts over your existing phone line.  Similarly, your digital phone service uses Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.  However, AT&T U-verse® differs from many VoIP services by allowing you to use your existing phones and phone number.   Like its high speed Internet, the entire system operates from a central router that delivers the signal throughout your home.

You can find out if AT&T U-verse® is available in your area by entering your address in the “Savings Widget” at the op of the page.

So you’ve made the decision to get high speed Internet.  Congratulations!  You’ll love the enhanced online abilities you’ll gain from faster browsing speeds. But how do you know which high speed Internet service to get?

For most, the choice boils down to three things:

1. Availability – Which high speed Internet providers are in your area?
2. Speed – How fast is fast?  And how fast is too fast?
3. Cost – Is high speed really that much more than dial-up Internet?

If you can nail down an acceptable service that meets the usual criteria, you’ve pretty much settled on your high speed Internet provider. If you want to get started looking, you can compare providers and plans right now with the “Find Savings” widget at the top of the page. Just enter your address and we’ll show you what’s available.

In the mean time, let’s breakdown the usual criteria.

Availability – In some areas, there may only be one provider.  Maybe you can only get high speed cable Internet (also known as “broadband”) from your local cable provider. Maybe your only option is DSL high speed Internet from the local telephone company. Of course, you may have multiple choices from several differnet providers. In that case, compare speed and cost to see what ets you the most bang for your buck.

Of course, even if you live in a more rural area you can still get high speed Internet. Just because there isn’t a cable line or DSL wire that runs to yor house doesn’t mean you can’t have high speed Internet. Look into satellite Internet. You’d need a dish, but no wires. The cost and speeds are both comparable to cable and DSL, so satellite Internet is totally acceptable option for getting high speed Internet in rural areas.

Speed – So let’s talk about speed. If you’re used to dial-up, high speed Internet will definitely be a welcomed change of pace.  Pages that used to take several minutes to fully display will pop up almost instantly.  That new picture of your neice that your sister sent over will download right away.  If you choose fiber optic Internet, like Verizon FiOS, the speed will simply amaze you.  You’ll truly wonder why you didn’t switch before now.

But how fast is fast? This chart should help you understand the different speeds and how they apply to you.

So how do those speeds apply to you? Well, the faster your Internet the faster you can download that picture of your neice. At 50 mbps, you could also watch HD movies online and feel like you’re at the theater!

Cost – You’ll also consider cost. The good news is that high speed Internet is priced for a variety of needs. If you have no interest in playing the latest online games or watching feature films over the Internet, than you probably don’t need to pay for the best of the best. Most of us will do just fine with a basic high speed service. The best idea for you is to find out what providers actually offer high speed Internet at your house. From there, you can determine how much you’re willing to spend. Having a price in mind will help you decide if you want high speed Internet or ultra fast high speed Internet.

Our demands on the limits of technology seem to grow by the day.  Even in larger metro areas, high speed Internet doesn’t always seem so “high speed”.  So what do you do when looking for high speed Internet in rural areas?

If you’ve found your online needs have outgrown dial-up Internet, here area a few items to consider:

• Does your local cable provider offer service in your area? Sometimes we forget that cable services, like high speed Internet, actually do run through cables.  If the cables don’t make it to your house, cable Internet isn’t an option.  However, it may pay to ask if there is a timeline setup to deliver access to your house.  If cable Internet is a year or less away, it may pay to wait it out.
• Have you talked to your phone company? Many times, the local phone company is the first place people turn to find high speed Internet.  However, they’re in a similar to position to your cable providers.  If the lines physically don’t make it to your house you can’t get DSL high speed Internet.  In rural areas, this often appears to be the case.
• Is satellite Internet an option? In many places where cable or DSL high speed Internet isn’t available, satellite Internet is a perfectly reasonable alternative.  When it comes to satellite, there are no cable to run to the house, so you can literally get satellite Internet almost anywhere.  You still have to have the correct angle on the signal, but that is typically an easy problem to solve.
• Have you talked to your local mobile phone company? With the influx of “air cards”, mobile high speed Internet is catching on.  Companies like Clear provide home high speed Internet based solely on wireless network coverage.  It’s just like having a wired connection in your house, but it receives its signal from the wireless network.

If you’re looking for high speed Internet in rural areas, you may think your options are limited.  They’re really not.  You may not have the same options as your metropolitan neighbors, but you can certainly enjoy similar Internet speeds.  If you broaden your ideas of how you can connect to the Internet, you can download movies and photos, play online games and more.

There seems to be a lot of discussion around DSL Xtreme.  Or is it DSL Extreme?  And is there even a difference between the two?

Well, with such similar names, there is discussion around both (online anyway) and there is most certainly a difference between the two.

DSL Xtreme is AT&T’s name for super-fast high speed DSL Internet service.   DSL Extreme is a Los Angeles based DSL provider.  However, if you search for one, you will no doubt find the other.  Now that we know there is a difference between the two, our focus will  be on the AT&T product.

AT&T’s FastAccess® DSL Xtreme and FastAccess® DSL Xtreme 6.0 are the high end of AT&T’s available DSL products with FastAccess® DSL Ultra and FastAccess® DSL Lite bringing up the rear.  Aimed squarely at online gamers and streaming video aficionados (and honestly, who doesn’t watch some form of video online these days?) , FastAccess® DSL Xtreme offers 3-6 Mbps download speeds based on which product you choose.  Traditional FastAccess® DSL tops out around 1.5 Mbps which fast, but pales in comparison.

To see if DSL high speed Internet is available at your house, just enter your address in the “Savings Widget”.  We’ll show you what’s available.