Internet
Service Providers
An #Internet
service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides access to
the Internet.
Internet
service providers can be either community-owned and non-profit,
or privately owned and for-profit.
Access ISPs directly connect clients to the Internet using copper
wires, wireless or connections.[1] Hosting
ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and other people (colocation).
Transit ISPs provide large amounts of bandwidth for connecting hosting
ISPs toaccess ISPs.
Dial-up
Internet access
This is the
oldest method of providing access to the Internet. It uses a telephone line to
perform a modem-to-modem connection. For that purpose, the user's computer is
attached to a telephone line enabled modem device, which dials into the node of
the ISP and starts transferring data between the servers that store websites
the user wants to see and their Internet connected device.
DSL, short
for 'digital subscriber loop' or 'digital subscriber line', is an advanced
version of the dial-up Internet access method. In contrast to dial-up, DSL uses
high frequency to execute a connection over the local telephone network.
The cable
Internet is among the most preferred methods for providing residential Internet
access. Technically speaking, it represents a broadband Internet access method,
using the high-bandwidth cable television network to transmit data between the
global network and the households.
This is a
new-generation broadband Internet access technology, allowing the delivery of
high-speed wireless Internet within a large area. Wireless broadband ISPs
(WISPs) ensure connection speeds that come close to the wired broadband speeds
provided by DSL and cable ISPs.
Wi-Fi (from
Wireless Fidelity) has become one of the most widely distributed Internet
access methods, with the growing usage of portable computers and Internet
enabled mobile devices, such as smart phones, PDAs, game consoles, etc.
Another
online data transmission method worth considering is ISDN or the Integrated
Services Digital Network. ISDN represents a telephone system network,
integrating a high-quality digital transmission of voice and data over the
ordinary phone line
Another Internet access type worth mentioning is Ethernet - the most
widespread wired LAN (local area network) technology, also used in wireless
LANs. The Ethernet technology may ensure various speed levels