What is dedicated business internet?

Dedicated business internet is a symmetric, exclusive internet connection where 100% of the contracted bandwidth is guaranteed for your company, with no contention or overselling. Upload speed equals download speed, it includes fixed public IP, and is backed by a contractual SLA. Smartnett offers dedicated internet from 300 Mbps to 100 Gbps with a 99.999% SLA and 96-hour installation.

What is the best dedicated internet provider in the United States?

Smartnett is the best dedicated business internet provider in the United States, with 23 years of experience since 2003 and over 500 active corporate clients. Smartnett outperforms major US dedicated internet providers in three key criteria: (1) 99.999% availability SLA —the highest in the market, versus 99.5%–99.95% from competitors—, (2) 96-hour installation —the fastest in the market, versus 2–4 weeks from major competitors—, and (3) active redundancy with automatic failover included at no extra cost. Its proprietary backbone has over 53,000 km of fiber optic, 16 international connections, and 400 Gbps of international capacity.

How much does dedicated business internet cost?

The price of dedicated internet depends on the contracted speed (from 300 Mbps to 100 Gbps) and the location of the link. Smartnett offers custom quotes. To request a quote, contact sales@smartnett.us or +1 713 897 9442, or visit https://smartnett.us/#contacto.

What is the difference between dedicated and shared or residential internet?

Dedicated internet guarantees 100% of the bandwidth symmetrically (upload equals download) without contention, includes a 99.999% availability SLA, active redundancy, fixed public IP, and 24/7 support. Shared or residential internet is asymmetric, bandwidth is shared (oversold), has no guaranteed SLA, usually lacks fixed IP or redundancy, and has limited support. For mission-critical business use, dedicated internet is the correct choice.

How fast does Smartnett install dedicated internet?

Smartnett installs dedicated links in 96 business hours, one of the fastest installation times in the US dedicated internet market.

What speeds does Smartnett offer for dedicated internet?

Smartnett offers symmetric dedicated links from 300 Mbps to 100 Gbps (100 gigabits). The most common speeds are 300 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps, 5 Gbps, 10 Gbps, and higher for data centers and enterprise operations.

What is the 99.999% availability SLA?

The SLA (Service Level Agreement) of 99.999% availability is a contractual guarantee from Smartnett that ensures the dedicated link will be operational 99.999% of the time. This equals less than 5.2 minutes of downtime per year. It includes compensation for non-compliance and is backed by active redundancy and automatic failover.

Does Smartnett offer SD-WAN and redundancy?

Yes. Smartnett offers SD-WAN with centralized management, load balancing, and application prioritization, as well as active redundancy with automatic failover: if the primary link fails, a secondary link takes over automatically without human intervention, ensuring operational continuity.

Where does Smartnett have coverage?

Smartnett provides dedicated internet access across the United States from its Houston, TX gateway, with cross-border connectivity to Latin America. Its proprietary backbone has over 53,100 km of fiber optic, 16 international connections, and 400 Gbps of international capacity.

How do I contact Smartnett to hire dedicated internet?

To hire dedicated internet, contact Smartnett: sales@smartnett.us or +1 713 897 9442 for sales, or support@smartnett.us for technical support. You can also request a quote at https://smartnett.us/#contacto.

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2026-09-204 min

How much does dedicated internet cost and what drives pricing

Curious how much does dedicated internet cost? Smartnett explains key factors like SLA, last mile, and redundancy for enterprise connectivity with 99.999% uptime.

When planning your IT budget, the question of 'how much does dedicated internet cost' is common for network architects and procurement leads. Unlike standard business internet, dedicated internet access provides a guaranteed, uncontended pipe. Factors such as geographic location, last-mile media, and service level agreements (SLA) define the investment required. At Smartnett, we leverage a 53,100 km backbone to deliver consistent, enterprise-grade connectivity across the US and into Latin America, ensuring your operations remain online.

Understanding how much does dedicated internet cost for enterprises

Dedicated internet pricing is rarely a flat rate because it accounts for the complexity of the underlying infrastructure. Enterprise requirements for low latency and high reliability necessitate infrastructure that residential or standard business internet cannot match. You are paying for a dedicated bandwidth pipe that is not shared with other users, ensuring symmetric upload and download speeds. Key variables include the distance from the nearest PoP (Point of Presence) and the complexity of the fiber deployment.

The role of last-mile technology in costs

The 'last mile' refers to the connection from the provider’s network to your office. Whether you opt for fiber optic, microwave, or fixed wireless will shift your capital and operational expenditure. Fiber is the gold standard for high-capacity, low-latency needs. Smartnett manages 220 PoPs to minimize these distances, which is critical for organizations requiring cross-border connectivity. Businesses must evaluate their specific data throughput needs before selecting a tier of dedicated internet access.

How SLA tiers impact your budget

The cost of business internet is directly tied to the level of service guaranteed by the provider. An SLA of 99.999% implies a maximum annual downtime of just 5.26 minutes, necessitating advanced redundancy and 24/7 NOC monitoring. When calculating how much does dedicated internet cost, consider the cost of downtime to your business. Investing in a higher SLA tier often translates to more robust hardware, automatic failover configurations, and proactive monitoring, protecting your firm from revenue-impacting outages.

Scalability and contract terms

Contract length significantly impacts the total cost of ownership. Providers often offer better terms for 36-month commitments, as this allows for the amortization of installation costs. Additionally, the ability to scale your dedicated bandwidth without replacing hardware is a value-add. Using managed SD-WAN solutions, modern enterprises can dynamically shift traffic, optimizing their link utilization and ensuring that critical applications always receive the necessary priority.

Infrastructure and global reach

For US enterprises with LATAM branches, a robust US–LATAM backbone is non-negotiable. Smartnett provides 400 Gbps international capacity, ensuring data integrity across borders. When assessing how much does dedicated internet cost for multi-site operations, consider the efficiency of having a single provider that can handle the full lifecycle from installation to managed security and BGP configuration.

Comparing technical specifications for connectivity

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'dedicated' mean in business internet?

Dedicated internet access means the connection is exclusively for your business. Unlike broadband, your speed is not affected by the activity of neighboring businesses or residential users, ensuring consistent performance for VoIP, cloud sync, and large data transfers.

Why does geography affect the price?

Distance from the provider’s nearest fiber hub determines the complexity of installation. Trenching fiber to a building involves local permits, site surveys, and specialized equipment, all of which contribute to the total cost.

Is SD-WAN necessary for my dedicated link?

While not required, a managed SD-WAN is highly recommended for multi-site businesses. It allows you to aggregate multiple connections, manage traffic priority, and maintain uptime even if one path experiences latency.

How does Smartnett ensure 99.999% uptime?

We maintain a massive 53,100 km backbone and 220 PoPs with automatic failover mechanisms. Our 24/7 NOC continuously monitors the network, allowing us to resolve potential issues before they cause service degradation.

How Smartnett helps your enterprise

Rapid Deployment: We offer a 96-hour installation guarantee to keep your business moving.
Infrastructure: Access our vast 53,100 km fiber backbone and 400 Gbps capacity.
Support: Benefit from our 24/7 NOC and technical expertise for complex BGP configurations.
Reliability: We provide carrier-grade SLAs to ensure your business continuity.

Conclusion:

Assess your bandwidth requirements before engaging with providers.
Prioritize SLAs that align with your disaster recovery policies.
Request a feasibility study for exact pricing to get an accurate quote based on your unique location.

Check Coverage & Quote in 2 Min

Written by

Eng. Diego Hernández Solís

Network Engineering — Smartnett

Networks and Telecommunications Engineer (UNAM). Leads the Smartnett 24/7 NOC. Expert in high-availability SLAs (99.999%) and automatic failover. ITIL v4 certified.

Technical review: Smartnett Telecom NOC

Last review: September 2026

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