CenturyLink Review 2024

CenturyLink- Where Affordability Meets Unlimited Connectivity.

If you genuinely want to see the evolution of broadband technology, just look at CenturyLink Internet. From a small telephone company in the southern countryside to a nationwide broadband service provider, CenturyLink has come a long way to become America’s best DSL internet provider and rural internet service. Its unlimited DSL and fiber internet service delivers seamless connectivity across the country. 

So, does CenturyLink have what it takes to be the internet carrier for your home? 

Let’s get down to the T and explore every single detail in our CenturyLink Review for 2023 to help you answer that trick question.  

CenturyLink Internet Review 

CenturyLink is a trusted brand of Lumen Technologies that focuses on offering residential and business internet services to its valued customers across 36 states of the USA. Centurylink is the beating heart of southern connectivity. The CenturyLink internet service was founded in 1968 in Oak Ridge, Louisiana as a local telephone company. Over the years, the company has evolved into one of the top ten internet service providers in the United States, and today, CenturyLink is serving more than 5 million broadband customers throughout its footprint. 

CenturyLink offers Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and fiber-optic internet in rural and urban areas of the country. The users can get up to 100 Mbps download speeds on their DSL internet networks and ultrafast gigabit speeds on the 100 % fiber-rich networks. In October 2022, CenturyLink partnered with an emerging internet service provider in the south-central, southeastern, and midwest regions, called Brightspeed Internet. The company was given charge of expanding and maintaining CenturyLink’s DSL and fiber networks in 20 states that make up its total coverage area. CenturyLink continues to offer high-speed broadband service under its original name in the western states of the country. 

CenturyLink is the only well-known internet service provider that claims to give lifetime price guarantees on its DSL and fiber internet plans. The DSL service starts at a flat rate of $50 per month and subscribers can get between 25 Mbps and 100 Mbps of download speeds via their traditional telephone lines. CenturyLink’s fiber internet service is fairly affordable. Customers pay $70 per month for the connection and get up to 940 Mbps download speeds which are perfect for glitch-free, multi-device streaming in HD quality. 

There are three reasons why anyone considering getting CenturyLink on their zip codes should immediately seal the deal. Firstly, you can avoid fussing over hidden costs and unexpected price hikes because CenturyLink likes to keep it simple when money numbers are involved. Secondly, CenturyLink’s wide coverage area ensures network reliability of up to 99.9 % . The speeds may fluctuate from place to place but service is available throughout its 36-state footprint. And the last and most important reason is the hassle-free service. CenturyLink doesn’t require any annual contracts, credit checks, or deposits. Instead, you get speedy, same-day installation for your broadband service. It is almost like getting broadband internet on your own terms and conditions. 

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of CenturyLink Internet to help you understand why it may or may not be suitable for you. 

Pros and Cons of CenturyLink

CenturyLink is diligently making its mark as one of the best DSL internet service providers for rural and remote areas. Those living in the countryside can rely on CenturyLink’s DSL internet network for instant connectivity. The simply unlimited DSL internet service is fast enough to support HD streaming on multiple devices at fairly affordable rates.

Although CenturyLink’s fiber-optic internet coverage is limited to metropolitan cities, the 1000 Mbps ultrafast internet smoothly supports 4K UHD streaming on more than 8 devices. However, fluctuating internet speeds may not be the best bet for professional gamers. 

Pros

• Offers DSL as well as Fiber internet service
• Vast coverage in 36 states of the USA
• Lifetime price guarantee on all its plans
• Contract-free service
• Unlimited data on DSL and fiber internet plans
• Ultrafast gigabit speeds on the fiber-rich network
• Affordable service

Cons

• Limited options for monthly plans
• Fluctuating download speeds
• Fiber internet is limited to the metro areas in a few selected cities
• Slow-speed DSL service may not be adequate for most subscribers

CenturyLink Internet Plans 

Like other prominent internet service providers in the country, CenturyLink doesn’t have a broad range of options in terms of its monthly internet plans. CenturyLink operates on a simple model of charging flat fees for its DSL and fiber internet services. The download speeds are set to a maximum, depending on the bandwidth of each type of internet. 

Those living further away from the data centers usually experience the slowest speeds on their networks because it is natural for some of the data to be lost during long-distance distributions. On average, the download speeds for CenturyLink DSL internet range between 25 Mbps and 100 Mbps, and for fiber internet, the speed can be anywhere between 200 Mbps and 1000 Mbps.

All new customers of CenturyLink fiber internet can enjoy free professional installation and a modem, worth $350. CenturyLink Internet users can also choose to forgo the professional installation for a self-installation kit that just costs $15, including delivery. 

CenturyLink Internet plans are prepaid, meaning that when you enroll for the service, you will have to pay in advance for your internet usage for the month. Most contract-free internet carriers around the country use this payment strategy to protect themselves from unruly subscribers who may use the internet for an entire month and cancel the service without paying their dues. 

Additional Costs

The additional costs associated with the CenturyLink internet service are not more than $40 per month. CenturyLink is known for building and delivering trust. By opting for the transparent pricing technique, CenturyLink strengthens customers’ confidence in the service. 

The company refrains from using promo pricing and hiking internet bills after a few months or years of service. Instead, it has come up with an attractive deal promising lifetime price guarantees on its internet plans. This comes as a relief in times of financial uncertainties because users know that no matter how high the inflation rate goes, at least their internet bills will remain the same. 

In the table below, we have mentioned all the additional charges that you may incur on your CenturyLink internet connection. 

Please take note that the taxes and surcharges are quoted as maximum values and the prices may vary for each state. 

Contracts

CenturyLink is a no-contract internet service. Residential and business customers of CenturyLink internet are not required to sign an annual contract for the provision of high-speed and reliable internet. Users are not even required to disclose their credit scores or pay a deposit before enrolling for the service. It is an easy come and easy fix solution for all those who are looking for instant connectivity in their homes and offices. 

You can cancel the service anytime you like. CenturyLink doesn’t even charge a small cancellation fee like other carriers usually do. You are only required to return the modem and  Wi-Fi router within 30 days of service termination and clear all the dues on your account. So, if you are looking for a service that delivers the utmost convenience at the lowest cost, then CenturyLink is the way to go. 

CenturyLink Internet Availability

CenturyLink has cemented its place among the nation’s biggest internet service providers. Its large coverage area spans from the east to the west coast, promising network availability in 36 states. As of October 2022, CenturyLink has spilt its operations and entrusted the other half of its internet market to a new and upcoming internet provider called Brightspeed. CenturyLink is focusing on broadband expansion and enhancement in the western states whereas Brighspeed is in charge of the eastern and southeastern markets. 

CenturyLink is directly providing DSL and fiber internet services in the following 16 states:

CenturyLink’s internet and telephone services are being offered under the Brightspeed banner in the following 20 states:

CenturyLink’s gigabit fiber internet service is limited to a selected few areas. And although the company keeps acquiring new access lines across the country to expand its DSL network, the fiber internet expansion is at a standstill, mainly due to the high construction and maintenance of fiber-optic cable networks.

CenturyLink Bundle Deals 

CenturyLink is an American telecommunications company. It offers several services to its residential and business customers. Currently, CenturyLink is delivering broadband, pay-tv, home phone, and smart home security services under its portfolio. Subscribers of CenturyLink internet can combine all these services in one cost-effective bundle deal or cherry-pick the services they want for their homes to avail of amazing monthly discounts. 

CenturyLink Internet users can save up to $30 per month when they enroll for one of the many bundle deals offered by CenturyLink.   

Bundle Deals for CenturyLink Internet & Telephone Service

You can now experience unlimited connectivity at home by stacking a home phone line on top of your affordable internet plan. CenturyLink Internet and telephone bundles start at $70 per month and include unlimited calls to any network throughout the country. 

Bundle Deals for CenturyLink Internet & Pay-TV Service 

CenturyLink’s Internet and the pay-tv bundle is best suited for those who are looking for an ultimate home entertainment package. The company has partnered with America’s dominant satellite TV providers, DirecTV, and DISH, to offer low-cost, satellite TV service to its broadband users. 

For a price of just $115 per month, CenturyLink internet customers can watch up to 150 channels, access all the premium channels like HBO Max, EPIX, and Showtime, and satisfy their sports cravings via most in-demand sports networks.

CenturyLink Customer Service Review

CenturyLink has clearly stood the test of time. In its 55-year history, CenturyLink has topped the charts on multiple occasions and in multiple categories. It has been ranked as the nation’s Number 1 DSL Internet Provider, the Fourth-Best Internet Internet Provider for Rural Areas, and the Eighth-Best Internet Service Provider in the United States. Now that is an insurmountable achievement if we take into account the fact that there are more than 2,866 internet carriers in the country. 

In 2021, J.D. Powers conducted a study on the level of customer satisfaction for all residential internet service providers. CenturyLink was the tenth-best residential internet service provider for delivering customer satisfaction. It scored a total of 674 points out of 1,000 in the south and 708 points in the western region. 

Similarly, in the 2022 American Customer Satisfaction Index for Internet Service Providers, CenturyLink scored 60 out of 100 points. CenturyLink’s customer service scores may not be as great as those of the Big Three (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) but it is still far better than most internet carriers. 

A quick look at the customer reviews posted on the online forums tells us that users experience dissatisfaction with the laid-back attitude of CenturyLink’s customer service representatives. The fluctuating download speeds can make online gaming, video conferencing, and multi-device streaming a problem during peak hours. In some small towns, CenturyLink internet outages have lasted a few hours each time and the technicians were unsupportive during such situations. 

Overall, CenturyLink has been given a 4.1-star rating by Forbes Home magazine, and the company is working relentlessly to improve its customer service.     

Conclusion

CenturyLink home internet delivers superfast downloads with 99.9 % network reliability. Subscribers of CenturyLink internet can choose between the DSL and quantum fiber internet service to experience unlimited connectivity at home. Both, the DSL and fiber internet service comes with lifetime price locks and users don’t have to worry about signing annual contracts. CenturyLink’s 36-state-wide coverage area makes it the most accessible broadband service provider in the country. And its gigabit download speeds on fiber-rich networks are perfect for city dwellers’ fast-paced lives. 

CenturyLink’s inconsistent internet speeds, slow customer service, and limited options for monthly plans may be discouraging factors for some. But when it comes down to straightforward pricing, convenience, and network availability in rural areas, CenturyLink supersedes all. We hope that this honest CenturyLink Review will help you decide the best carrier for upscaling your life in 2023.