Categories: TECHNOLOGY

Details on Internet Service Providers for Maine

A variety of internet service providers are available in the New England state of Maine, some of which I have used and many I have not. They include providers which serve local areas, the entire state, or are nationwide, with dial-up prices ranging from about $10-$25/month. Some also offer DSL and/or cable services. Here are some details on several of the internet access providers in Maine…

STATEWIDE

These providers offer access throughout much of the state:

DIALMAINE: An ISP based in Waterville, DialMaine offers $23.95/month unlimited dial-up access for most of Maine and New Hampshire, and there is no set-up fee. Prices are lower with automatic payment or pre-payment. According to their website (dialmaine.com) the company was founded in 2002.

GWI: Great Works Internet offers both dial-up and high-speed DSL internet service in most of Maine. Unlimited dialup access is priced at $19.95 per month, with a $15 set-up fee. A faster dialup “booster” service is available for $3.95/month extra. Ten ($8.95) and forty ($15.95) hour dial-up plans are also offered. DSL prices start at $29.95/month. From personal experience with their dial-up service, outages or busy signals are very rare.

MIDMAINE: Mid-Maine Communications offers unlimited dial-up access with a single statewide access number for $14.95-$17.95/month, as well as DSL (some areas) and telephone service. They are based in the city of Bangor.

OXFORD: Based in Lewiston, Oxford Networks provides dial-up coverage for much of western, central, and southern Maine, as well as high-speed access and other services. Dial-up is priced at $16.25/month pre-paid, and there is no set-up fee.

PS: Points South, which is based in Sanford, offers statewide dialup internet service for $19.50/month with no set-up fee. If the monthly cost is pre-paid for six months, it is $100 ($17 savings), or $190 to pre-pay for a year ($44 savings).

LOCAL

Service from these internet access providers is only available for some parts of Maine:

AI: Aroostook Internet is based in the northern Maine city of Presque Isle and offers several types of internet service. Their dial-up access is only offered ($19.95 unlimited) in northern and eastern Maine, while their DSL is available in many parts of the state.

CTS: Coastal Telco Services provides DSL and dial-up service to some areas of coastal Maine, such as Camden, Damariscotta, Lincolnville, and Nobleboro. DSL is priced at $37.95, and unlimited dialup at $20.95. Fifteen ($9.95) and fifty ($15.95) hour/month plans are offered as well. A ten dollar fee is required to start. I used Coastal Telco dial-up access many years ago and don’t remember having any problems with it.

SJV: Located in northern Maine, SJV Wireless Inc. offers wireless and dial-up internet access services. SJV’s dial-up is priced at $20/month, or $17.15 if paid on a yearly basis ($205.80 for a year). Access is available in Fort Kent, Eagle Lake, Allagash, and other northern areas.

Several other local and statewide internet service providers are also located in Maine, such as Midcoast Internet Solutions and Downeast.net.

NATIONAL

A number of national internet service providers are also available for many Maine residents, including America Online ($9.95/month), Verizon, EarthLink, PeoplePC ($10.95/month), LocalNet ($9.95/month), and others. According to their websites, AOL has about 38 access numbers for Maine, while LocalNet has 99, and PeoplePC just over 100.

Overall, factors to take into consideration when choosing among internet service providers and plans include monthly cost, set-up fees, access speed, availability of additional services, pre-payment discounts, payment options, coverage areas, and reliability.

Prices were current as of late October, 2007.