Comparison of Qwest DSL to Mediacom High-Speed Internet

The five Internet plans from Qwest vary in download speed, becoming more expensive as the download speed increases. The cheapest monthly plan from Qwest offers speeds of 1.5 Mbps; the rest of the plans offer speeds of 7 Mbps, 12 Mbps, 20 Mbps and 40 Mbps for the most expensive plan. The slowest plan allows customers to browse online, use email and share photos effectively. The faster plans suit customers who play online games, view movies and run professional home offices.

Mediacom's three plans are Mediacom Online Intro, Mediacom Online and Mediacom Online Max. The respective download speeds for the plans are 3 Mbps, 12 Mbps and 50 Mbps. The Online Intro plan is significantly faster than dial-up service and some DSL service plans. The Online plan downloads 50 MB MP3 albums in 33 seconds and entire movies in nine minutes. The Online Max plan can download 50 MB MP3 albums in nine seconds and entire movies in four minutes 36 seconds.

Subscribers to Qwest high-speed Internet plans receive Qwest @Ease service, which backs up and secures customers' computers with online backup space and Norton AntiVirus Online. Other features from Qwest include 24-hour tech support every day, My Qwest home page in which customers can customize their Internet homepage and free Wi-Fi service in home or at thousands of locations. Qwest provides a self-installation CD so customers can set up their own Internet connection; there is also an option to have professional installation, if desired.

Included for free with Mediacom Internet service, Mediacom customers receive CA Internet Security Suite Plus. This service protects customers' PCs from threats such as spyware and viruses. The goal of this service is not just protection, but also to help keep customers' PCs running smoothly. Another benefit of the CA Internet Security Suite Plus is that it stores, backs up and transfers files, photos and music if desired. Home networking service from Mediacom is also available so customers can connect to the Internet from more than one computer while only having one direct connection.