What Makes CenturyLink Internet Different From Other Services?
CenturyLink is one of the largest residential digital subscriber line (DSL) internet service providers, and with plans available in 39 states, it’s second only to Windstream in terms of number of states covered. The Louisiana-based company has been in business since 1930 and now serves customers across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Canada in addition to the United States.
If you’re considering switching to CenturyLink for internet service, there are a number of plans to choose from. Whether you’re switching from another provider or hooking up service after a move, this is what you need to know about what sets CenturyLink apart from its competitors.
CenturyLink Internet Deals
While prices and internet speeds vary across the country, generally speaking, CenturyLink plans usually start at $49 per month, with speeds ranging from to 100 Mbps depending on your area. Numerous factors can affect DSL speed, including population density (more users means less speed for everythone) as well as the quality of the infrastructure used to provide internet service. Fortunately, rural availability is one of CenturyLink’s strengths, so your likelihood of receiving some form of DSL service is high.
Additionally, CenturyLink offers fiber internet for $65 a month. This service is usually much faster than DSL, and as the fifth-largest provider of fiber internet in the country in terms of coverage area, it’s likely to be available in an area near you.
All of the CenturyLink internet plans come with a maximum data allotment of 1 terabyte (TB) per month. While the data cap may seem like a deal-breaker, the 1TB limit is fairly generous considering that the average U.S. household uses around 250 gigabytes (GB) of data per month.
Price for Life
One noteworthy perk of choosing CenturyLink is a promotion called Price for Life. As the name implies, subscribers who sign up for a qualifying deal are guaranteed to pay the same monthly rate for as long as they keep the same plan. While factors such as download speed, connection type, service availability and pricing should undoubtedly play a role in your choice of plan, Price for Life makes for a strong incentive to choose CenturyLink.
Moreover, you can sign up for CenturyLink’s Price For Life plan without the need to be tied down by a contract. Because CenturyLink does not require a credit check, there’s no barrier to qualifying for a plan, and there are no cancellation fees should you decide to end your subscription at any time.
Other Costs and Fees
In addition to the monthly rate, first-time subscribers may have to pay an installation fee. The rates vary according to location and can range from $60 to $125. The monthly rate also does not include a modem rental, which can cost up to $15 a month. Since the equipment rental can set you back as much as $180 per year, it’s more cost-effective to purchase your own modem if you plan to stick with CenturyLink Internet for a long period of time.
Additionally, while the Price for Life plan is available for all of CenturyLink’s DSL plans, you’ll have to sign up for the Double Play Bundle to enjoy the same deal for a fiber connection. It costs $85 per month and comes with a landline phone that allows for unlimited calls to any location in the United States and Canada.
What Sets CenturyLink Apart
CenturyLink’s $49 monthly internet rate is lower than the national average internet bill per household, which is $60. Some areas of the country even pay more than $100 monthly for internet service. However, CenturyLink rates are also likely to be higher in places with more expensive internet overall, so the reality of the situation is a bit more complex than that one statistic alone might suggest.
Even so, if you factor in coverage area and internet speed along with the Price For Life option, there’s a solid case to be made for CenturyLink as an internet service provider. The main downsides of choosing the company are that CenturyLink’s fiber service option is still less widely available and that DSL outages can happen as they do with any such company. However, CenturyLink’s customer service is regarded decently well, which is surprising given the industry’s poor reputation for helping customers with problems.
