Reviewing CenturyLink Availability, Price, Speed, and More

The internet has become an essential part of everyday life. These days, 81% of Americans are on the internet on a daily basis. And nearly one-third of Americans are almost constantly online.

Due to how much we use the internet, it's important that we have a reliable and affordable internet connection. And CenturyLink aims to do just that for us. But does CenturyLink live up to the hype or should it be passed over?

In this article, we'll be reviewing CenturyLink availability, price, speed, and more! So continue reading and we'll walk you through everything you need to know.

CenturyLink Plans and Prices

With CenturyLink, the price that you see is the price that you're going to always get. This internet service provider only has six plans but those plans offer a wide range of speeds. And five of those plans all have the same price!

You can get download speeds of 15 Mbps, 20 Mbps, 40 Mbps, 80 Mbps, and 100 Mbps, all for $49.

Now, this doesn't mean that you'll get to choose between all of these options. Instead, you're going to be paying $49 for the fastest speed that's available in your area. AT&T has a similar policy with its 10-100 Mbps plans.

While many people like knowing that they're paying the same low price for the fastest download speeds that CenturyLink can provide, others prefer to know what speed they'll be getting ahead of time.

Perhaps the best part of CenturyLink's service is its Price for Life guarantee. After you sign up, you're going to get the same price for the entire time that you get internet from CenturyLink. Unfortunately, this doesn't count for the CenturyLink Fiber Internet plan, which we'll get to in a bit.

Most other internet service providers significantly increase their prices after a year or two of service, so it's easy to see what makes this deal from CenturyLink so attractive.

And even if you don't intend to have CenturyLink for more than a few years, their prices are still pretty good. You could probably find some cheaper ISPs in your area, but prices from those companies are likely to go up after some time.

CenturyLink Fiber Internet

On the downside, CenturyLink only offers one fiber plan. However, this plan provides you with a lightning-fast speed of 940 Mbps. Costing $65 per month, this is a fairly average price point for fiber internet. Xfinity offers a similar plan for $70 per month.

This also does not come with the Price for Life guarantee.

CenturyLink Internet Speed

While CenturyLink is going to deliver you the fastest speed it can give you, that still may not be fast enough for you. As we mentioned in the previous section, the speed that you get from CenturyLink is going to depend on where you live.

With their DSL service, you could end up getting speeds ranging from 15 Mbps to 100 Mbps. For people who get the 100 Mbps, they'll most likely be extremely grateful for only having to pay $49. Unfortunately, customers who only get 15 Mbps might end up becoming a little bitter that they're essentially paying top dollar for slow-ish internet.

When it comes to accurately delivering those speeds, CenturyLink doesn't rank as well as other internet service providers. In fact, they placed twelfth out of sixteen ISPs that were analyzed in a 2018 report for actual-to-advertised speed performance by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).

With that said, CenturyLink was still rated better than other DSL providers, including Cincinnati Bell and Frontier, in that same FCC report.

Data caps

All of CenturyLink's plans have a 1 TB (terabyte) data “limit.” However, this isn't really a limit because nothing is going to happen to you if you use more data than that.

In the end, you'll end up getting a notice that tells you that exceeded your data limit. But other than that, nothing is going to happen.

With that said, it's extremely unlikely that you're going to use more than 1 TB of data in just one month. That's an extremely large amount of data, and you'd have to be downloading a constant steam of 4K Hollywood movies or stocking up your Steam library for gaming.

Also, a 1 TB limit is fairly standard in the industry. Cox, AT&T, and Xfinity all do the same thing. Some internet service providers don't have any limits at all anymore, which is certainly preferred.

But still, having a 1 TB limit is nothing to be concerned about.

CenturyLink Equipment, Contracts, and Fees

One really nice thing about CenturyLink is that they don't charge any early termination fees and they don't have contracts. They will just charge you for the modem and the installation.

Unlike other internet service providers, CenturyLink won't have you sign anything that will lock you into a term. You just keep your service for as long as you like and leave anytime without any penalties.

CenturyLink is hoping that their Price for Life deal will be enough to keep you using its service. After having CenturyLink for a few years, other ISP plans might be so much more pricey that you won't even think about leaving anyway.

If you don't want to pay for your own modem, you can rent one from CenturyLink for up to $15 a month. This is a fairly average rate for monthly modem rental.

However, it costs $150 to purchase a modem outright. So if you're planning on using the service for at least ten months, it would make more sense to buy the modem.

And if you complete your new service order online, you can avoid paying the $50 shipping and handling fee for the modem. You can also avoid the fee if a technician comes to install the device.

And with some modem models, you can upgrade to Secure WiFi. This will cost you an extra $5 per month but is worth having for people who are concerned about security.

When it comes to service fees, CenturyLink only charges you an installation fee. The price varies depending on where you live, but it can be up to $125.

Is CenturyLink Available In My Area?

CenturyLink is available in 36 states. Those states are:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

CenturyLink is able to leverage current telephone infrastructure to provide internet access to its customers.

History of CenturyLink

CenturyLink, Inc. is a global technology company with headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana. It is also a Fortune 500 company and they are listed on the S&P 500 index. The company has a long and storied history.

Originally, CenturyLink was called the Oak Ridge Telephone Company and was based in Oak Ridge, Louisiana. The company was owned by F. E. Hogan, Sr. Hogan sold the company in 1930 for $500 to William Clarke.

At the time, the company had 75 paid subscribers. Clarke bought the Marion Telephone Company fifteen years later and started to grow the company with more acquisitions.

By 1967, the Oak Ridge Telephone Company had 10,000 access lines in three states. That year, the company became incorporated as Central Telephone and Electronics. In 1971, the name was changed to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc.

Century Telephone moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1978. During the late 1980s, Century Telephone continued to expand and become more and more profitable.

By the end of 1993, their revenues were exceeding $430 million. However, they had also accumulated over $500 million in long-term debt.

In 1999, the company was renamed as CenturyTel, Inc. They were also added to the Standard & Poor's 500 Index that year.

2000 - Present

In 2000, CenturyTel acquired hundreds of thousands of lines across the midwest. In 2001, they acquired CSW Net, Inc. of Russellville, Arkansas. They were also able to fend off a hostile and dramatic takeover attempt from AllTel, Inc.

AllTel attempted to buy CenturyTel with an unsolicited bid for over $6 billion. Not only were they rejected, but CenturyTel sued AllTel, alleging that AllTel was making false statements about the company.

Four years later, CenturyTel bought various fiber networks and began a wireless data and voice service. In 2009, CenturyTel combined with Embarq and renamed themselves CenturyLink.

CenturyLink Competitors

When it comes to competitors in the DSL arena, there is AT&T and Frontier. AT&T has a similar plan structure to CenturyLink.

However, they don't offer a Price for Life guarantee. On the other hand, they ranked much higher in the FCC's report about advertised-to-actual speeds.

Frontier offers lower prices than CenturyLink but they also lock you into a two-year contract.

CenturyLink Packages and Deals

CenturyLink is currently offering an Internet & Phone Bundle. For $85 per month, you can get unlimited home phone service and up to 940 Mbps in internet download speeds. Of course, the actual CenturyLink speeds you get will depend on your area.

CenturyLink also offers bundles for internet and DISH TV.

Also, during the coronavirus pandemic, CenturyLink is waiving their late fees and foregoing service disconnects for residential and small business customers. They are also removing their data caps for all of their customers.

CenturyLink Customer Service

Unfortunately, while CenturyLink shines in some areas, customer service is not its strongest area. Some customers found that installation technicians didn't show up on the days that they were scheduled.

Then again, customer service isn't something that any internet service provider is well-liked for.

Which Speed Is Best for Me?

If you're a big streamer, then 80 Mbps would be perfect for you. This plan is also great for medium-size families who want fast speeds but don't want to break the bank.

Unfortunately, you can't decide what internet speed you're going to get. So you're at the mercy of your area and CenturyLink. But if you can get a plan at this price, it's certainly worth getting.

If you're a serious gamer, living with a large family, a remote employee, or just want really fast internet speeds, then you should consider getting fiber internet. Of course, you're going to have to live in an area where fiber internet is available. This plan provides you with 940 Mbps.

Recapping the Pros and Cons of CenturyLink

CenturyLink's consistent pricing and no-contract plans are certainly attractive when compared with the surprise price hikes and long contracts that other ISPs require.

With that said, if you live in an area with slow download speeds, it may not be worth it. Plus, their customer service leaves something to be desired.

When it comes to plans and prices, CenturyLink prices are very competitive. Especially if you live in an area that offers 80 Mbps or 100 Mbps. And when you consider the Price for Life guarantee, the prices start to look really attractive.

CenturyLink also has a wide range of speeds. However, you have no control over what that speed is.

A huge positive is that there are no contracts. Equipment and installation fees come with just about every internet service provider, and CenturyLink has some of the most affordable.

The Importance of Reviewing CenturyLink Availability, Price, Speed, and More

CenturyLink is an excellent choice as an internet service provider so long as certain conditions are met. And by that, we mean, so long as you live in an area where CenturyLink can provide you with the speeds that will suit your needs.

And by reading our review of CenturyLink availability, price, speed, and more, you'll be armed with the knowledge you need to make the informed and educated decision when it comes to your internet.

Are you still trying to figure out which internet service provider is best for you? Contact us today and see what we can do for you!