ISP (Internet Service Providers) - Quick Guide

ISPs ( Internet Service providers) provide users and businesses with access to the Internet. There are many ISPs to choose from, when choosing your ISP you need to take into account:

• Access speed
• Access type
• Dial-up - per minute usage
• Dial-up - unlimited usage
• Always on - broadband and cable
• Accessible to more than one computer (home network)
• Email Services
• Hosting Services
• Other Services like parental control, spam filtering, virus scanning
• Cost

Internet Connections

Internet connection  can be either dialup and broadband. Dialup connections require the use of a phone line, and usually have connections of 56Kbs or less.

 Broadband connections can be either  Broadband wireless access, Cable modem, DSL, Satellite or Ethernet. Broadband is always on (you are always connect to the internet) and varies in speed between 500K and 20+Mb per second.

ISPs and Telephone Companies

Most telephone companies offer ISP services but not all ISPs are telephone companies. In fact one of the most well known ISPs (AOL) does not offer telephone services.

However most Internet connections regardless of whether they are provided by a telephone company ISP or a pure ISP utilize the existing telephone lines.

Changing ISPs

Many, including myself have upgraded or are thinking of upgrading to broadband Internet and are looking for a suitable ISP. I did this recently and moved ISP because I got a better deal with he new one.

I was however fortunate that because my old ISP offered a pay per minute connection I was able to retain an account with them and hence preserve my email address.

So if your thinking of switching ISPs, stop and think about your email addresses. Can you keep them? A better solution for the future is to ensure that you have a permanent lifetime email address so that you can change ISPs when needed.

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Related Articles and Resources

• Switching to Broadband
• Change Email Address FAQs
• Find Someone's Email Address