CenturyLink Internet Deals – CenturyLink is a big provider present in many United States states, but not all of them have optic-fiber plans. What are the differences to a DSL one?
So you are looking for the best internet deal for you, reached CenturyLink’s page and that good-price DSL plan just caught your attention.
“Well, it looks cheaper than others I have looked at”, you may be thinking. “But is it really worth it?”, you might question yourself. “And wait, what about that optic-fiber option I have heard about?”
Well, first of all you need to understand what a DSL internet is, if it matches your needs and what are the differences to a fiber alternative. But remember: the best deal is the one that suits you better.
CenturyLink’s internet deals often have good prices and are available in 37 states. But only 25 of them have the fiber plan.
Therefore, let’s understand if the DSL is the one for you and then take a look at the options CenturyLink (actually, now called Quantum Fiber) offers us.
Don’t worry, you will understand it all until the end of this article.
Table of Contents
Digital Subscriber Line
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) transmits data over phone lines. Therefore, as phones have been present at our homes since a long time ago, this is maybe the most common option you can find, and it gets to places where newer technology (such as fiber) does not.
But first, don’t worry. It just uses phone lines, it does not mean it is an old fashioned dial connection that jams your regular home phone like in the early 2000’s.
But phone wires, nevertheless, are not the fastest way to send and receive data in the world. And when it comes to the internet, every fraction of a second counts.
Every action you take when connected to the web sends a signal to a main server that answers it with new information.
For many daily tasks such as checking and writing email, you won’t sense any difference between DSL or fiber, but when it comes to activities such as live streams or video calls (that needs more data to work efficiently), a DSL internet might not handle it so well.
An internet speed is measured in bytes per second, such as megabytes or gigabytes (one gigabyte equals around 1,000 megabytes).
CenturyLink
CenturyLink offers customers a large range of plan deals. Looking at the DSL internet options, we have the most simple one (with 20Mbps download speed and 2Mbps upload speed) until the 140 Mbps (with 40 Mbps) alternative.
But as an older technology, DSL is not as fast as other options that can offer you even 1 Gbps (gigabyte per second) of download speed.
And also, as an old tech, phone lines are not that much efficient in transmitting data, so the speed you really receive at your notebook may be slower than what is written at your internet plan.
Actually, the internet you get at your home is almost always at least a bit slower than the speed described by your provider (no matter what ISP you have chosen).
The difference is that newer technology is more efficient, therefore it loses less speed to transmit data.
So, why to chose DSL?
Well, at first, it might be the only option available in your region. But also, it might suit your needs and have the best price in comparison to both fiber and cable alternatives, for example.
For instance, when it comes to internet providers in the United States, CenturyLink’s prices for DSL plans are cheaper than others in the market.
Also, one important thing is to note that CenturyLink’s DSL internet is unlimited, meaning you will not need to worry how much data you send or receive in a single month.
To sum up, if you are not an internet fanatic, if you don’t have too many devices connected at once or even if you don’t usually feel the need for a super fast download or upload speed to receive and send big archives, it can be an affordable option for your house.
But if you like playing online games, zooming with your friends for many hours or if your work requires a faster speed, you might be willing to look a little more at what else CenturyLink internet deals has to offer you.
Optic-fiber: fast and reliable
If you look at plans, you have a long list of options when it comes to your internet connections technologies.
What changes is how fast and how long data will have to travel. The longer and the slower, the worse your internet speed will be.
A satellite connection, for example, is the worst, because data needs to go the way all through space and bounce back at you, exposed to other signal waves in the atmosphere that might slow the process even more.
Even the 4g or 5g internet is more agile for that purpose.
The best choice when it comes to speed is a fiber-optic connection, but it is not available for every internet provider and in every place.
Fiber is faster because, while on cable (the second best option) the data travels over metallic lines more prone to corrosion, on fiber it travels by light emitted over glass strands —in other words, it means faster.
As it is newer, it also loses less download and upload capacity along the way, so you will receive at your house a very close internet speed than the one you actually have contracted.
Another important factor is that, in fiber technology, you will find symmetrical download and upload speeds.
CenturyLink internet deals offer customers up to 940 Gbps (gigabyte per second) plans, and with a speed like these, you probably won’t find much you can’t do.
So, why not choose fiber?
Well, every day it gets harder not to choose the fiber alternative.
It gets cheaper every year, faster every year. And more and more our daily life needs a better internet capacity, be it for watching movies online, playing games, working from our homes or even for these three activities at the same time.
But first, not every region has the fiber option available. Second, you might not be able to afford it. And, after all, maybe you don’t even need it.
Anyway, it is important to note that now CenturyLink internet deals also offer customers unlimited data on fiber plans —in the past, unlimited data was only available for DSL connections.
So if you choose it, you will not regret it.
A little more about CenturyLink
First, you might want to call it Quantum Fiber. Because recently CenturyLink went through a rebranding (just as did Facebook, becoming Meta).
As the name indicates, the company’s intention is to improve it’s fiber technology or, as it says on its webpage: “Quantum Fiber reinforces our commitment to empower today’s digital needs, improving your life with the internet experience you deserve”.
It’s focused on offering the best internet for home office daily tasks and distance learning, two aspects of our lives that got much more important after the pandemic —and probably will stick with us in different ways for the years to come.
Although many devices still carry the old name (that in fact is still very popular), in many regions you will already find the new brand.
Also, Quantum Fiber is investing in providing Wi-Fi 6 coverage. In 2020, most routers supported the 5th generation. But the 6th generation promises to improve internet speed up to 30 % and have a larger capacity to connect multiple devices at the same time.
It also promises to expand its fiber coverage to more states —today, 25 regions where CenturyLink is present does have this internet option.
CenturyLink internet
No matter the name, CenturyLink internet deals are good mainly for its affordable and fast connections, it’s broad coverage throughout the United States of America and it’s unlimited plans.
As for customer service and satisfaction, looking at some recent research, it is ok. Not the best, but far from being the worst in the market.
If on one hand the company does not offer promotions, your plan cost will not raise after one year of use.
Another good thing is that CenturyLink, or Quantum Fiber, offers customers the option to use the company’s internet equipment (modem and router) for a low cost, rent it for a fee or even buy their own devices.
Having the provider’s equipment is more practical and safe, but having your own, if you know how to choose it, can make you get the best out of your internet plan.
CenturyLink is present in 37 different US states. The complete list is: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
