When you first started your business, you may have reached out to your customers on your personal cell phone and computer. You may have even knocked on some doors. But as your small business grows, the time will come when you need to set up a business phone and business internet system.
When that time comes, which service will you choose—Verizon small business or AT&T small business?
Both companies bring great phone and internet deals to the table. Here’s your ultimate guide to the ins-and-outs of every service that Verizon and AT&T offer for small businesses.
Verizon Small Business vs. AT&T Small Business
Want the quick answer? Well, the right small business phone and internet service depends on the size and the location of your business. When it comes down to it, AT&T small business services might be a better option for smaller businesses with simple phone and internet needs. Verizon small business services are much more comprehensive. If you go the Verizon route, we recommend their bundled package with phone and internet services.
Keep reading for all the details on both services below.
Verizon Small Business: What Do They Have to Offer?
Verizon provides phone and internet services for any type of business—large, medium, and small. They also offer services for the government.
But let’s narrow in on Verizon small business services specifically. What does this massive telephone and internet provider have to offer your small business?
When you wade through Verizon’s many small business deals, you’ll see three core offers: phone services, internet services, and packages and bundles of the two.
Here are the details of every Verizon small business offer available.
Verizon Small Business Phone Services
If you only need phone services from Verizon small business, you can focus on these two services.
Verizon Business: Preferred
Verizon’s Preferred package is the company’s standard small business phone offer. With this package, you get unlimited domestic calling. Depending on your line option, you can also have features like caller ID, voicemail, and three-way call capability.
This option is ideal for growing small businesses because all of Verizon’s Preferred features are scalable. For instance, you can add another line for an additional cost. Prices start at $59 per month, not including taxes and fees.
Verizon Small Business: Business Digital Voice
Unlike a standard phone network, Verizon’s Business Digital Voice uses internet technology to deliver high-quality calls—plus a few benefits that only the internet can provide. All communications are stored in the cloud, which means you don’t need to fear losing data if your power goes out. With the BDV service, you also have access to features like a mobile app, a virtual service attendant, call monitoring, unlimited national calling, and much more.
Prices vary according to the number of lines you sign up for. The more lines you acquire, the lower the monthly price.
One-five lines costs $35 per month, minus taxes, fees, and equipment charges. Six-10 lines will cost you the same price, and 11-20 lines costs $30 per month, and 21+ lines goes for $25 per month.
The Business Digital Voice service is a great option for small businesses that conduct much of their operations online and from smartphones. You can get a landline with the Business Digital Voice option, but it’s worth taking advantage of their smartphone features (like a mobile app), as well. As Verizon describes it, the Business Digital Voice is best for small business with just one location, and fewer than 99 employees.
Verizon Small Business: Virtual Communications Express
Another VoIP service (meaning the phone service isn’t coming from a landline, but instead over the internet) offered by Verizon small business is the Virtual Communications Express.
The Virtual Communications Express service is a simple option, offering easy installations and management. It’s a pay-as-you-go service, helping you cut costs by only paying for what you need.
The Virtual Communications Express is a cheaper option for very small businesses, with prices set at $18.19 per month per user.
Verizon Small Business Internet Services
Verizon has two different kinds of internet services for small businesses: High-Speed Internet and FiOS Internet.
Each type of Internet service has a few different offers. Here’s what you need to know about both of them.
Verizon Small Business: High-Speed Internet
High-Speed Internet is for small business owners who don’t need to rely on stellar internet connectivity at all times for their business. While you can still get great internet connection, you’ll pay less for slower connection speed.
Here are the Verizon small business High-Speed Internet packages that you can choose to use separately, or bundle with a Verizon small business phone line.
Up to 1 Mbps Download & 384 Kbps Upload
This Verizon small business package starts at $39.99 per month, minus taxes, fees, and equipment charges. Verizon considers this package the right fit if you’re the only person running your business. This most basic internet package is for “light” internet users—according to Verizon.
Now, you can choose to use the Starter Package for just internet. But if you bundle this package with Verizon’s phone service, you’ll get internet plus two phone lines with the Standard Phone service. One phone line features unlimited domestic long distance calling, and the second line is just for incoming faxes and credit card transactions. If you do choose to bundle these two services, you’ll get both services for $44.99 per month for the first year, and $49.99 per month thereafter. This price doesn’t include taxes, fees, agreement charges, and equipment charges.
Up to 3 Mbps Download & 768 Kbps Upload
This package is the next level up from the most basic Verizon small business offer. It starts at $47.99 per month for the first year and costs you $52.99 per month after that.
This Verizon small business package is the right move for single-person businesses that use the internet pretty frequently. So if you’re often emailing your clients and transferring files, this is the package for you.
If you want to bundle this internet service with the Standard Phone service, you can do so for $54.99 per month for the first 12 months, and $59.99 per month thereafter, not including fees, taxes, and equipment charges.
Up to 5 Mbps Download & 768 Kbps Upload
This Verizon small business package starts at $64.99 per month for the first year. After the first 12 months, the package goes up to $69.99 per month—not including all those previously-mentioned charges.
This is the right package for small businesses with multiple employees who are frequently using the internet for emailing and large file transfers.
If you bundle this internet package with a phone service, it’ll be cheaper for you in the long run. You can choose between the Standard Phone service and the Business Digital Voice service. BDV is a phone service created especially to streamline business communications. Its 30+ features include a cloud-based IP network, a mobile app, an option to convert voicemail to email, and much more. Plus, you get unlimited long distance calling to the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Unlike the Standard Phone service, however, if you choose the BDV bundle you only get one phone line.
Either bundle option will cost you $54.99 per month for the first year, and $59.99 per month thereafter. So if you’re looking to get internet and phone services at the same time, opting for this bundle is a no-brainer.
Up to 7 Mbps Download & 768 Kbps Upload
The next Verizon Small Business package is intended for the same type of small business—multiple employees and frequent internet use—but it comes with a more reliable connection speed. This package starts at $64.99 per month for the first year, and $69.99 per month thereafter.
And like the 5 Mbps package, it’s much cheaper to bundle the 7 Mbps package with a Verizon phone service. You’ll get the speed of the 7 Mbps package, plus the two phone service options described above, for the same price of $54.99 per month. After the first year, this price gets bumped up to $59.99 per month. Again, this bundle is much more cost-effective in the long run if both the internet and phone service meet your business’s needs.
Up to 10-15 Mbps Download & 1 Mbps Upload
You guessed it—the last package is the most connected High-Speed Internet service that Verizon offers. It’s best for small business owners with multiple employees, businesses that operate entirely online, and ecommerce businesses. Amazingly, this package is also priced at $64.99 per month for the first year, and $69.99 per month after that.
And if you bundle this service with either the Standard Phone or Business Digital Voice service, you’ll get the same price of $54.99 per month for the first year, and $59.99 per month after that.
So, if you’re looking for fast internet connection and a nationwide phone service, it makes sense to opt for the bundled 10-15 Mbps package. You’ll get the fastest internet, with the same low price as slower internet services.
Verizon Small Business: FiOS Internet
The second Verizon small business internet service is FiOS Internet.
FiOS is a state-of-the-art fiber network that offers a faster connection speed than Verizon High-Speed Internet.
Here’s what Verizon offers for FiOS Internet separately, and what you’ll get if you bundle FiOS with a phone package.
75 Mbps Download & 75 Mbps Upload
This first Verizon small business FiOS package is its most basic. It starts at $64.99 per month for the first year, and goes up to $69.99 per month after that.
This FiOS package will be sufficient for any kind of office with one to four users who need access on different devices. It’s a good fit for businesses that share large files over email, need cloud backup for data storage, or use the internet all the time. Verizon specifically considers this package to be a great fit for small businesses with high-growth potential.
You can bundle this package with either a Standard Phone or BDV service. If you go the bundle route for any of the FiOS Internet packages, you’ll get much more value with a lower price. This basic bundle starts at $69.99 per month for the first year, and bumps up to $73.99 per month thereafter.
150 Mbps Download & 150 Mbps Upload
The next level up for FiOS packages offers a little bit more than the most basic package. This package is a good fit for small businesses with 5-10 employees. The increased connectivity lets businesses share high-bandwidth files, video conference with multiple viewers, and participate in webcam sessions, webinars, and ecommerce activity. All of this comes at $89.99 per month for the first year, and $99.99 per month thereafter.
And if you bundle this next level of FiOS Internet with the same additional phone package (Standard Phone or BDV), you can do so for only $94.99 per month for the first year, and $104.99 after that.
Plus, Verizon throws in an added perk if you sign up for this package with a 2-year agreement: You’ll receive a $200 Visa Prepaid Card, and you can also add a FiOS TV, starting at $10 a month.
300 Mbps Download & 300 Mbps Upload
The next step up for FiOS Internet packages is a pretty big leap.
This package doubles the amount of connectivity for small business owners. Verizon considers this package the ideal performance capacity for any business with 11-20 employees. So if you’re making large data transfers on and across multiple devices, or need extremely efficient backup storage, file sharing, and internet browsing, this Verizon small business internet package is a safe bet. It’s also ideal for e-commerce businesses. This Verizon FiOS package comes at $184.99 per month for the first year, and $194.99 per month after that.
For this package, you can bundle with the same choice of Verizon phone services for $189.99 per month, and $199.99 per month for the following year. You’ll also get a $250 Visa Prepaid Card and the same offer on a FiOS TV.
500 Mbps Download & 500 Mbps Upload
This package is the highest level of connectivity you can get with a Verizon internet plan.
You’ll get the most power possible for 20+ users, a ton of bandwidth capacity, and the ability to process a lot of ecommerce orders. This FiOS package is for growing small businesses with a fair amount of employees and lots of online operations. Of course, you’ll pay for this connectivity—this FiOS package starts at $214.99 per month for the first year, and $224.99 per month for the next year.
If you bundle this FiOS internet package with the same business phone package options, you’ll get a good deal: $219.99 per month for the first year, and $229.99 per month after that. And don’t worry, that bonus $250 Visa Prepaid Card and FiOS TV option still stands with this package.
940 Mbps Download
The final FiOS package offers the absolute fastest internet connection and bandwidth capacity for any amount of employees. The best part about this package? You can get it at the same exact price as the 500 Mbps package: $214.99 per month for the first year, and $224.99 per month the year after.
The bundled prices aren’t much higher than the previous package, either: $219.99 per month for the first year, and $229.99 per month for the next. The same bonus offers apply, too.
One thing to note with this FiOS Package: Verizon’s fastest connectivity level is only available in select areas. If you operate in a rural area—or an area Verizon simply doesn’t connect to—you might not be able to get the fastest package. Check if this package will reach your area on Verizon’s website to know for sure.
The Best Verizon Small Business Deal
Verizon Small Business has a lot of offers available. So many, in fact, that it might be hard to choose the right one for you.
To pick the package that will most closely fit your needs, think carefully about how you operate internally, how you reach your customers, and how big your business will be down the line.
Here’s our take on it: If you need both phone and internet services, then there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t opt for a bundled Verizon small business package. In some cases, you’ll get the bundled package for less than the two separate packages. While the bundled internet and phone packages only come with one business phone line, you can always add more lines later on for an additional fee.
With that being said, think realistically about what you really need. If you just plan on reaching out to local customers, keeping your team small, and using the internet infrequently, then there’s no need to spend more than $100 each month for the highest FiOS connectivity. And if having the FiOS Internet connection isn’t a dealbreaker for you, you’ll still get good connection with a bundled High-Speed Internet for less than $100 per month.
Not sure how to decide? Think about what your small business needs right now and what you’ll need a few years down the road.
AT&T Small Business: What Do They Have to Offer?
What does AT&T have to offer small businesses that Verizon doesn’t? Let’s run through every AT&T small business phone and internet service to find out.
AT&T Small Business Phone Services
If you only need AT&T small business services for phone connectivity, then you can opt for just phone packages.
AT&T offers three different local and long distance calling packages for small business. Let’s go over the basics on these offers.
AT&T Small Business: Local Service for Minimal Calling
This AT&T phone service is for the smallest businesses with mostly local outreach. This package offers up 500 minutes per month, per line of local calling—starting at $31.20 per month. You also get unlimited regional or state-to-state long distance service for a flat rate.
You also get extra features like caller ID, voicemail, call forwarding, and more. However, available features vary according to your location, so call AT&T for more information.
AT&T Small Business: Local Service for Moderate Calling
The next level up for AT&T small business phone services is the Local Service for Moderate Calling. As the name suggests, this package is still for local businesses. But you’ll have more minutes of calling available.
This package comes with up to 1,400 minutes of local calling per month, per line, starting at $62.95 per month, with an added flat rate for any additional minutes.
AT&T Small Business: Long Distance
If your business connects with clients and partners beyond your local area and region, then the Long Distance AT&T small business package might be a better fit for you.
The Long Distance plan starts at $15 per month. But to add any international calling capabilities, you’ll have to pay a flat rate on top of that, which varies according to the country.
Just to reiterate: extra features vary according to your location. To know which features your business would really be getting, contact an AT&T representative.
AT&T Small Business: Digital Phone
All the above AT&T small business options are traditional phone services with land lines. If you don’t need a traditional option you might want to consider the AT&T digital phone service.
Like the Verizon options, the AT&T small business digital service operates over the internet. You’ll get all the standard features you’d expect to get with a traditional landline, plus a few more capabilities.
When you opt for a digital service, you’ll essentially bundling AT&T internet and phone services together. AT&T offers an Internet + Phone service for $70 per month, an Internet + Phone + Business Solutions (essentially tech support) service for $85 per month, and an Internet + Phone + TV (offering DirectTV for your customers or employees) services for $89.99 per month.
AT&T Small Business Internet Services
Whereas Verizon offers two types of internet, AT&T small business internet service keeps it simple.
There’s only one business internet option available with AT&T.
AT&T Small Business: Dedicated Internet
AT&T Dedicated Internet service (DI) offers business owners reliable, scalable, and high-speed internet. AT&T DI promises 100% service availability and 99.95% data delivery for all small businesses. This service also provides enhanced cybersecurity features.
The DI service comes with two access types: Ethernet and Private Line. The Ethernet-based internet connection is considered the “express” AT&T small business internet option. So if you need faster internet, this is the way to go.
AT&T’s DI service is available in a few Mbps speeds. The slowest speed, 10 mbps, charges $499 per month minus for service fees. For the same speed plus AT&T Wi-Fi®, you’ll pay $529 per month.
The fastest internet speed is 250 Mbps. That option goes for $1,460 per month (minus service fees). Plus AT&T Wi-Fi®, that rate increases to $1,490 per month.
However, the rate you really get depends on AT&T’s connectivity, so you’ll need to speak with an AT&T representative to work out your offer details.
AT&T Small Business Bundles
If you think that AT&T small business services are pretty barebones for phone and internet separately, we don’t blame you—Verizon tends to have more options for each service.
AT&T offers two basic bundles for small businesses. Plans and rates vary according to location, so in reality, you might be getting slightly different services than the information that’s available online.
Also note that small business services are only available in 22 states—so you’ll have to contact an AT&T representative to know which plan, if any, will work for your business.
It’s worth noting that AT&T offers a few services designed specifically for running small businesses. With their Business Solutions, you can sign up for access to specialized, 24/7 IT support; enhanced security and data backup services; and even help with website design and tools to track marketing campaigns. All of these services are available at fairly low monthly rates. So what AT&T may lack in diversity of phone and internet options (compared to Verizon, at least), they make up for in perks.
The Best AT&T Small Business Deal
Just like Verizon small business offers, the best AT&T small business offer totally depends on the kind of business you run, how much you need to run it efficiently, and how you plan on growing your business in the future. Most importantly, the exact service you’ll get depends on your business’s location.
In our opinion, AT&T is a better move for business owners who just need basic phone services in local areas. If you need cost-effective long distance and international plans, you might not find that at AT&T—you’ll still have to pay an international rate on top of your monthly fee.
They do offer a solid, simple internet service, but depending on your location and required speed, your monthly rate could be pretty steep. But if you’re looking for perks—like a one-on-one consultation with a website designer for $35 per month—then you might consider AT&T’s Business Solutions.
Verizon Small Business vs. AT&T Small Business: Who’s the Winner?
Now that we’ve laid out all the options for both Verizon small business services and AT&T small business services, how are you going to choose?
As always, the perfect solution for every small business is different—so you’ll need to think about what you really need, and what you can afford.
But when it comes down to it, Verizon small business has more options for business owners who want to customize their service. And when you compare prices for each level of phone and internet connectivity, Verizon small business services give you more bang for your buck.
With that being said, AT&T small business solutions might offer more customizable packages than what Verizon is willing to work out, but you’ll need to get on the phone with an AT&T business representative to see if you can get a lower price for what you need.
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So you’ve just started down the path of picking the best phone and internet small business service for you. We’ve just given you a small nudge forward.
The rest is up to you. Good luck!
The post Verizon Small Business vs. AT&T Small Business: How to Choose appeared first on Fundera Ledger.
from Fundera Ledger https://www.fundera.com/blog/att-small-business-verizon-small-business/
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