Lesson 03|03 of 08

Lesson 03 | 03 of 08

ISP

ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. It is a company which provides Internet connections. You can have your connection through different technologies:

Dial up (via telephone)

Cable (via cable)

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line - via telephone)

For a monthly fee, the service provider gives you a software package, username, password and access phone number. The ISP provides you with access to the Internet, the World Wide Web and also the ability to send and receive e-mail.

The dial up connection is via telephone modem (short for modulator-demodulator), a device that enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines. A telephone modem converts between the analog waves from the telephone to the digital information on the computer. The prevalent data rate available for telephone modems are 28.8 and 56 Kbps.

DSL is a technology for bringing high-bandwidth information to homes and small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines.

A cable modem is a device that enables you to connect your computer to a local cable TV line and receive data at about1.5 Mbps. Cable is another high-bandwidth (also called broadband) technology, however with a continuous connection.

At The List of ISPs website http://www.thelist.com you can browse and find an Internet Service Provider near you.

Edited by Norman Bliss