An Internet service provider (ISP) is a type of company that provides the capability to access the internet. There are different forms of ISPs such as commercial, community-owned and privately owned, and there are also many ways from which you can connect to the internet. However, it depends which of these services are available in your area. Today, most ISPs use DSL, cable, or satellite to establish connections to the internet.
Before service providers launched, there was very limited access to the internet; only those who had an affiliation to a participating university or government agency had the privilege. It was in the late '90s when the number of internet service providers had significantly increased to approximately 10,000 around the world, with more than half of them located in the U.S. Back then, most of the internet service providers were small companies that made a contract for internet services from larger ISP companies such as America Online (AOL), and offered their services to clients and businesses. AOL became the leading provider for ISPs around the world! Around the same time, many state-owned ISPs in Asia entered the business. The dial-up Internet service provider AOL eventually had its downfall when customers shifted to broadband service for a faster internet connection.
Dial-up requires that you have access to a landline telephone service to connect to the internet. The normal download speed of 24-48 Kbps is a bit slow. and it's not recommended when downloading huge files over the internet, but occasional internet users will be fine using dial-up connection.
Satellite uses a wireless internet connection and is much faster than dial-up, but the quality of the connection is typically affected by weather conditions. If DSL or cable is not available in your area, then satellite internet is a good alternative; however, it is a bit slower than the other types of service.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Cable internet are designed for those who use the internet primarily for downloading huge amounts of data or media consumption such as Skype or online videos. The average download speed of DSL is 3 Mbps, whereas cable internet is faster at 4-6 Mbps. However,, higher-end cable speeds average from 12-20 Mbps, but they will certainly cost more.
Thanks for this! I've been thinking about switching to a different internet provider especially after I learned about this new ISP in my area so now I'm trying to learn more about it to see if it really is the best option for me. Based on what I read about it so far, the type of internet connectivity that they offer is one of the best options to consider.
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