In the pre-broadband days, Internet access providers used to offer dial-up Internet connections. Slow connectivity was a major issue then. Downloading content was a time-consuming task.
But now, local Internet access providers are offering broadband Internet connections. They have tremendous speed and the downloading of content no longer takes hours. Just a click of the mouse can help you to download online content in a few minutes, be it text, audio, video or graphics.
In some parts of the world, Internet access providers still provide Internet connectivity through dial-up services. But wherever broadband technology has reached, Internet access is provided through digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable modems. Some service providers are also providing Internet access through satellite. In the near future, Internet access may be possible through high-voltage lines. Internet access providers often upgrade their technology in urban areas before they do it in rural areas. This is because they are able to recover their costs in urban areas much easily that in rural areas.
High-speed Internet access using broadband technology has increased the number of people using the Internet. In some of the less-developed parts of the world certain Internet access providers often market their ""high-speed connections"" though the speed of Internet access is less than 256 kilobits per second, which is the benchmark for a high speed Internet connection.
The number of Internet access providers and the range of services offered by them are likely to expand further. Your choice of an Internet access provider should be guided by several factors, such as the amount of time you are likely to spend on the Internet, volume of content you are going to download, whether you are using it for commercial or non-commercial purposes, and how much you can afford to pay.
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