Internet Plan Options

The internet is an integral part of daily lives. Households depend on the internet not only for leisure, but for functionality. Choosing a reliable internet plan is important because it must support your daily online needs. The service provider, pricing, satisfactory speeds, and the type of connection are factors on how to find the best internet plan for you.

Use our suggested tips below as a guide before choosing an internet plan:

How much speed do I need?

After deciding your budget, the speed of your internet plan is a crucial aspect to think about. Determining your daily internet usage will help you know the right speed needed for an internet plan.

Consider how many people will be using the internet, how often you will be using it, and most importantly what you will be using the internet for. The average house needs around 100-200Mbps per month for their home internet. Mbps stands for megabits per second and is the measure of internet speed. The speed you’ll see being advertised means this is the maximum amount of data you can transmit per second. Bandwidth is an additional important factor, however, is a different measurement of connection quality. The bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transferred per second.

Think of bandwidth as a road and data as the cars. The more cars on the road, the more traffic. If you are streaming a movie in high definition, you might notice the quality degrade as more people start using the internet.

When there are more roads for the cars, then traffic becomes less congested. The same is true for your internet. A high bandwidth means your data is transferred at a faster rate because more data can be sent at the same time.

When checking plan options, look at the download and upload speeds, bandwidth, and latency.

The speed you choose must support your daily online usage. A 50 Mbps plan may be sufficient for a single user, but a family may require a plan of 100 Mbps or more. Low-usage activities like browsing, sending emails, posting to social media, do not need much data. However, video streaming, gaming, making video calls, watching videos on your browser or social media, and downloading large files require a faster speed. Remember also, the higher the usage and the more devices being used simultaneously, the higher speed your plan should be.

Be mindful that you are not going to receive the maximum speed from your plan, thus it is wise to choose an internet plan with a speed that exceeds your usage needs. This guarantees the internet plan chosen can support all your devices and online activities.

What type of connection does the provider offer?

Since 2021 providers have been phasing out DSL copper lines and no longer sell new plans on a copper network. In recent years, internet plans available on the island have moved from DSL to more efficient fiber optic connections. In this climate, DSL does not provide high speeds like fibre. Fibre seems to be the preferred and best choice for internet to get fast speeds.

You may still be using an older connection like DSL but now need a faster one. Do a speed test to figure out the speed you are currently getting. If it is not fast enough, it might be time for an upgrade.

Upgrading to a fibre plan may result in a more reliable and faster connection.

Are there any bundles or promotional offers?

It can be worthwhile to bundle services especially if you already have a plan with the service provider.

The provider may encourage their bundle packages because they include TV, home phone, ETC, along with your internet plan. Having a bundled package ensures you have one bill rather than separate ones per month and is cost effective but remember to consider if you need all the bundled services.

Most providers will offer a promotion on their bundle or most popular plans. Promotions are advertised with an incentive to ensure you buy a plan quickly. Be sure to understand the long-term cost of the plan and read the entire contact duration to be confident that the promoted plan is worthwhile.

Always read the fine print.

Read the terms and conditions of each provider and make note of the contract length and early termination fees. Clear understanding of the fine print will help you decide on a plan and whether you are able to commit to it for the entire duration of the contract.

Make a note of all prices and fees.

The price of the internet plan will vary on the speed, additional services, the type of connection, and the provider. Fibre internet plans range from $80 to $315. Also, remember to consider the price for installation and any additional equipment fees.

Shop around and compare plans.

Look at the different internet plans on the island and compare the prices and speeds offered by each provider.

1. Read reviews online to see what consumers are saying about their service from certain providers.
2. Pay attention to online complaints in your area to note if connection dropouts could be a problem.
3. Talk with a customer service representative to get questions answered.

It’s important to shop around so that when you decide on an internet plan you are confident it is the right one for your household.

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Before selecting an internet plan, know your options, do your research, and ask questions. Be sure of not only the plan, but also the provider. Determine your internet needs for today and anticipate for higher speed needs in the future.