Organization that provides Internet services, including access to the Internet. Several types of company provide Internet access, including online information services such as CompuServe and America Online (AOL), electronic conferencing systems such as the WELL and Compulink Information eXchange, and local bulletin board systems (BBSs). Most of the more recently-founded ISPs, such as Demon Internet, offer only direct access to the Internet without the burden of running services of their own just for their members. ISPs vary in the way they charge for services: some charge a flat monthly or quarterly fee; others do not charge for Internet provision instead getting revenue from advertising and electronic commerce; others obtain revenue through complex arrangements with the companies that provide physical delivery such as telecommunications and cable companies. ISPs serve individuals as well as companies and act as gatekeepers to the Internet. They are linked to each other through Network Access Points (NAPs) which are major Internet connection points.
Such companies typically work out cheaper for their users, as they charge a low, flat rate for unlimited usage. By contrast, commercial online services typically charge by the hour or minute.
The second largest Internet Service Provider, after AOL, was formed in the USA by the merger of Mindspring Enterprises, based in Atlanta, Georgia, and EarthLink Network in Pasadena, California, completed in February 2000. Mindspring had a market value of about $1.5 billion and EarthLink was worth about $2 billion. The deal created a company named EarthLink, Inc, with more than 3 million subscribers (to AOL's 20 million).
In September 1998, the UK ISP scene was revolutionized by the launch by Dixons, the UK high-street electrical retailer, of Freeserve, the first ISP with no registration or set-up fees and no monthly subscription charges. Users still have to pay for local-rate telephone connection charges. In 2000, this freedom from charges was taken a step further with the launch of services free of telephone charges, but in some cases with a flat fee, by BT, AltaVista, ntl, and others. BT also introduced a flat-fee broadband service using ADSL.
http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Internet+provider
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Switching to a New ISP Provider
What do you do when an ISP providers level of service has decreased or the provider has just closed shop? You dont panic; all you have to do is switch to a new provider. If you know how these ISP services work, then switching over to a new provider will not be as rough or bad as you think. All it takes is having a contingency plan.
There are two components to internet ISP services which include the physical network connection to your SOHO or small office and the connection to network services so you can retrieve email or look at a web-site. Most SOHO businesses, no matter how big or small, will have network integration. This is also called a Wide Area Network. The connection through the network allows you to physically connect to the internet to look at web pages, use instant messaging or manage email accounts or use your email account.
This wide area network connects your computers to the internet. The services that you get out of the network depend on your network configuration. Again, the type of internet service you get should depend on whats available in your area and how much bandwidth you need for business applications to be run or developing server side applications for your hosting account.
Many people rely on their own mail server or Web-site on their network, while many other business owners rely on their outside hosting providers.
You should also look at the types of access that you want. Should you consider keeping the same kind of bandwidth, downgrade or upgrade according to company needs? Right now, the hottest access going is DSL transmissions because it uses existing phone wires or cable modem. Cable and Broadband similarities are the same depending on what part of the country that you live in. Any choice that you make is going to be driven by price and availability.
Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. You may reprint this article, as long as the article is unedited and this author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.
http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Switching-to-a-New-ISP-Provider/1159
Choosing an ISP Plan
When deciding on which ISP plan is right for you, there are two main factors to consider: your needs and your budget. You want to purchase the most affordable plan that can handle everything you want to accomplish on the internet.
There are three main types of plans to choose from: Dial-Up, DSL and Cable. Each of these three plan types download internet pages and files at different speeds. The fastest is a Cable (around 1000 kilobits per second) connection followed by DSL (around 300 kilobits per second) and Dial-Up (around 30 kilobits per second), respectively. If you are planning on only using the internet for email and surfing web pages, a Dial-Up plan would be perfect for you. Dial-Up is also the cheapest of the three followed by DSL and Cable, respectively. However, if you are planning on purchasing a membership at a movie or music download website that lets you download unlimited movies or music per month, you will want a DSL or Cable connection so you can take advantage of the offer.
In summary, when choosing an ISP plan first decide on what you want to accomplish and second how much you are willing to spend.
http://www.ispshakedown.com/articles/index.php
There are three main types of plans to choose from: Dial-Up, DSL and Cable. Each of these three plan types download internet pages and files at different speeds. The fastest is a Cable (around 1000 kilobits per second) connection followed by DSL (around 300 kilobits per second) and Dial-Up (around 30 kilobits per second), respectively. If you are planning on only using the internet for email and surfing web pages, a Dial-Up plan would be perfect for you. Dial-Up is also the cheapest of the three followed by DSL and Cable, respectively. However, if you are planning on purchasing a membership at a movie or music download website that lets you download unlimited movies or music per month, you will want a DSL or Cable connection so you can take advantage of the offer.
In summary, when choosing an ISP plan first decide on what you want to accomplish and second how much you are willing to spend.
http://www.ispshakedown.com/articles/index.php
Internet: a Whole New World (Wide Web) Including Video and Audio
Who hasn't heard about the internet? No one! Unless, of course, you have been living in a cave for the past decade! The internet is the crowning achievement of the Information Age (which is what we call this age we live in). It has completely revolutionized how we communicate and how we live.
But what exactly is this thing we call the internet? In a nutshell, the internet is the interconnection of computers around the world. It allows users of these computers to communicate in a variety of ways: through email, streaming conferencing, website information, file sharing, and others.
For you to connect to the internet, you will need a computer and a connection to an ISP (Internet Service Provide). Your ISP will provide you with a connection and the means to connect to the internet.
The internet started out as a project of ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of Defense), which was commissioned by the Pentagon to look into the uses of networking for military purposes in 1960. From here, the internet was steadily developed to benefit the whole populace.
In the beginning, the internet could only chug along at a low data transfer rate. Today, ISPs offer speeds from 56 kilobytes per second to 10 megabytes per second or more! This allows people to transfer more data which facilitates better communication.
The internet impacts so much of our daily lives that it has become indispensable to so many people and businesses.
Uses of the Internet
1. E-mail - Gone are the days when people had to wait weeks or even months to receive postal mail! With the internet, an email can be sent and reach its destination instantaneously! E-mails have made the world a smaller place, allowing people separated by great distances to correspond.
2. Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms - Services such as AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger allow people to send messages instantaneously, much like a phone conversation using written messages. There are also "virtual rooms" on the internet facilitated by services developed for this reason. These "rooms" allow many users to chat using written messages.
3. Webpages - Webpages are like virtual homes on the internet. They allow people to post documents on the internet that are easy to browse through and navigate. As time passed by, webpages gained more functionality. Today you can download files, submit files and comments, and purchase items online.
Webpages serve many functions: some promote businesses, some are purely informational, and some become money making vehicles. The internet spawned what we now call e-commerce. This involves purchasing over the internet. You can even use online payment methods such as PayPal and other methods.
4. Streaming Services and File Sharing - The internet also allows file sharing. This allows you to share files with other users. These files may be large or small. Streaming services allow you to receive data such as radio feeds, or even video feeds over the internet.
A Brave New World
The internet makes so much things possible. In the next few years we will see much more. In the past, the internet was limited to large institutions. Now residential internet has become more affordable. Today's technology even allows mobile internet! You could surf the internet from a mobile device such as a cell phone, or you could surf from your laptop in areas that offer Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity).
About the Author
David Arnold Livingston is a successful business owner
and entrepreneur. He recommends the resource:
Fore Internet
But what exactly is this thing we call the internet? In a nutshell, the internet is the interconnection of computers around the world. It allows users of these computers to communicate in a variety of ways: through email, streaming conferencing, website information, file sharing, and others.
For you to connect to the internet, you will need a computer and a connection to an ISP (Internet Service Provide). Your ISP will provide you with a connection and the means to connect to the internet.
The internet started out as a project of ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of Defense), which was commissioned by the Pentagon to look into the uses of networking for military purposes in 1960. From here, the internet was steadily developed to benefit the whole populace.
In the beginning, the internet could only chug along at a low data transfer rate. Today, ISPs offer speeds from 56 kilobytes per second to 10 megabytes per second or more! This allows people to transfer more data which facilitates better communication.
The internet impacts so much of our daily lives that it has become indispensable to so many people and businesses.
Uses of the Internet
1. E-mail - Gone are the days when people had to wait weeks or even months to receive postal mail! With the internet, an email can be sent and reach its destination instantaneously! E-mails have made the world a smaller place, allowing people separated by great distances to correspond.
2. Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms - Services such as AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger allow people to send messages instantaneously, much like a phone conversation using written messages. There are also "virtual rooms" on the internet facilitated by services developed for this reason. These "rooms" allow many users to chat using written messages.
3. Webpages - Webpages are like virtual homes on the internet. They allow people to post documents on the internet that are easy to browse through and navigate. As time passed by, webpages gained more functionality. Today you can download files, submit files and comments, and purchase items online.
Webpages serve many functions: some promote businesses, some are purely informational, and some become money making vehicles. The internet spawned what we now call e-commerce. This involves purchasing over the internet. You can even use online payment methods such as PayPal and other methods.
4. Streaming Services and File Sharing - The internet also allows file sharing. This allows you to share files with other users. These files may be large or small. Streaming services allow you to receive data such as radio feeds, or even video feeds over the internet.
A Brave New World
The internet makes so much things possible. In the next few years we will see much more. In the past, the internet was limited to large institutions. Now residential internet has become more affordable. Today's technology even allows mobile internet! You could surf the internet from a mobile device such as a cell phone, or you could surf from your laptop in areas that offer Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity).
About the Author
David Arnold Livingston is a successful business owner
and entrepreneur. He recommends the resource:
Fore Internet
Which is the Safer Alternative, Dial-Up or Broadband?
You've finally gone high speed with a cable modem or DSL and you love the speed. However, are you taking the right precautions to keep your computer safe? High speed broadband is a blessing. Remember the days when you could go make yourself a snack and go to the bathroom while you're computer downloaded one page? That is no longer true when you have broadband service. Dial-up is limited by the bandwidth of phone lines and web content is getting larger and larger. The bandwidth for dial-up is not usually large enough to send large content file pages in a timely manner. There is new technology that allows you to speed up your dial-up connection. Both NetZero and EarthLink offer high-speed dial-up that are said to be five times faster than traditional service.
You will also see advertised on the Internet, special programs to boost speed. As always with any program that you download from the Internet, you need to know the site you are on is secure. You don't want to add Spyware or adware while adding the program to speed up your connection.
I found as an early user of new cable Internet service that it was so much faster I was amazed at how fast my pages loaded. I was one of the first in the city to receive this new service. As more and more users jumped on the high-speed bandwagon, I noticed a slow down to my Internet service. The cable company has fixed that performance issue by adding new channels and splitting the users. This allows the speed, which we can easily get used to and like.
How secure is broadband service? Broadband does have its advantages but there are also some dangers involved as well. First, when you are using dial-up, you are more than likely shutting your computer down when you are done surfing or working on the Internet. With your computer shut down, it won't allow hackers or Spyware to get into your system. With broadband, their boast is "you are always connected." I know this to be true; because when I turn my computer on in the morning, it stays on until I shut it down for the night.
While this is convenient, it also poses a danger by leaving your computer exposed to the work of hackers and Spyware all that time. With your computer "always on", an important fact to remember is the road to the Internet is a two-way road and Spyware and hackers can be having a field day with your computer.
One such attack is called "denial of service" and has hit prominent sites like Excite at Home, eBay, and Yahoo. The Undernet, which supports the IRC chat network, has also been hit with this attack. Many experts warn that a particular worm can potentially cripple the Internet and could already have the worms seeded into many computers. They are afraid that these worms will be activated all at once and cause a massive failure of many Internet sites.
Hackers can get into computers that are serviced by these high-speed DSL and cable modem connections and are able to get personal information like credit card and bank account details. Many companies provide the first step in stopping these intruders by disabling the file-sharing program that is on the Windows operating system of their customer's computers. This help prevents other users from seeing inside your computer.
Installing a firewall is another simple and inexpensive precaution. A firewall is just what it says. It builds a wall around your computer to keep hackers and Spyware from getting your personal information. Experts say that once your computer is compromised, sometimes the only cure is to reformat the hard drive. This is something that is time-consuming and frustrating and should be done only as a last resort.
Security issues with broadband connection will continue to grow as many more households start connecting with high-speed connectors. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, broadband users increased by 134 percent in the past year. They report that nearly 29 million users are connected to a broadband connection in the year 2004. It's mind boggling to think how many more have been added since then.
Enjoy your broadband speed and convenience, but prepare to take the right precautions to keep your computer safe.
About the Author
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For high-speed broadband check out http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com
You will also see advertised on the Internet, special programs to boost speed. As always with any program that you download from the Internet, you need to know the site you are on is secure. You don't want to add Spyware or adware while adding the program to speed up your connection.
I found as an early user of new cable Internet service that it was so much faster I was amazed at how fast my pages loaded. I was one of the first in the city to receive this new service. As more and more users jumped on the high-speed bandwagon, I noticed a slow down to my Internet service. The cable company has fixed that performance issue by adding new channels and splitting the users. This allows the speed, which we can easily get used to and like.
How secure is broadband service? Broadband does have its advantages but there are also some dangers involved as well. First, when you are using dial-up, you are more than likely shutting your computer down when you are done surfing or working on the Internet. With your computer shut down, it won't allow hackers or Spyware to get into your system. With broadband, their boast is "you are always connected." I know this to be true; because when I turn my computer on in the morning, it stays on until I shut it down for the night.
While this is convenient, it also poses a danger by leaving your computer exposed to the work of hackers and Spyware all that time. With your computer "always on", an important fact to remember is the road to the Internet is a two-way road and Spyware and hackers can be having a field day with your computer.
One such attack is called "denial of service" and has hit prominent sites like Excite at Home, eBay, and Yahoo. The Undernet, which supports the IRC chat network, has also been hit with this attack. Many experts warn that a particular worm can potentially cripple the Internet and could already have the worms seeded into many computers. They are afraid that these worms will be activated all at once and cause a massive failure of many Internet sites.
Hackers can get into computers that are serviced by these high-speed DSL and cable modem connections and are able to get personal information like credit card and bank account details. Many companies provide the first step in stopping these intruders by disabling the file-sharing program that is on the Windows operating system of their customer's computers. This help prevents other users from seeing inside your computer.
Installing a firewall is another simple and inexpensive precaution. A firewall is just what it says. It builds a wall around your computer to keep hackers and Spyware from getting your personal information. Experts say that once your computer is compromised, sometimes the only cure is to reformat the hard drive. This is something that is time-consuming and frustrating and should be done only as a last resort.
Security issues with broadband connection will continue to grow as many more households start connecting with high-speed connectors. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, broadband users increased by 134 percent in the past year. They report that nearly 29 million users are connected to a broadband connection in the year 2004. It's mind boggling to think how many more have been added since then.
Enjoy your broadband speed and convenience, but prepare to take the right precautions to keep your computer safe.
About the Author
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For high-speed broadband check out http://www.highspeedbroadbandservice.com
Broadband Internet: Cable and DSL
Technology such as Broadband Internet covered in this article are rapidly changing our world in many ways and becoming more affordable for the average person. It's worth mentioning however that better technology is actually properly defined as simply a better way of doing something we already do with whatever process we have at hand. Rather than thinking of better technology in terms of computers, hi tech gadgets and such, for example anytime we find a way to get to work 5mins faster than before we have found a better technology to improve our lives in some respect.
How often do you use your Internet? I can hardly fathom computers at times. If I actually sit and think about all they do, I simply get confused. It's kind of like cassette tapes. Back when I was a child, I used to wonder how in the world does music come off of this magical tape. Well, it still makes little sense to me even after studying the process. The Internet is like this also. The World-Wide-Web takes us throughout cyberspace, but does it from our living rooms. It's phenomenal how we can lounge on our couches with laptops at hand and surf the planet. However, to do this the right way these days is with high speed cable Internet.
You may find it hard to choose between high speed cable Internet and DSL. If this is the case, ponder no more. Let me give you some basic advice about high speed cable Internet. There is no substitute. You probably hop online every day. Most of us send emails, pay our bills, do some work, and maybe surf the web on a regular basis. Don't you want the fastest speed when doing these routine chores? With high speed cable Internet you get things done at a much quicker pace. No more sitting around on your thumbs while waiting for a single page to load. Who wants to wait an hour for a movie trailer to open? You want to watch it now. You need high speed cable Internet. While DSL might save you a little; is it really worth sacrificing all of that time? Our lives are too valuable.
**Running Commentary** - Its interesting to note at this point that the cost of Broadband Internet is going to range in price quite a bit and you really need to first identify your needs and wants and when you go shopping make sure you don't overspend for features you want but don't really need. As technology so quickly becomes obsolete 1. many of the features will become obsolete 2. later models will be cheaper if not superseded by a later model with newer features and 3. are you going to actually have time to read the whole manual and understand how all the features work ? (I know I never figure out all the features of any new gadget or gizmo I buy)
Yes, there are a few individuals who suffer from the horrible affliction called dial-up. It's hard to believe anymore, but a few of us still deal with the ear-piercing screech and the constant disconnections. Dial-up is certainly a thing of the past, and most of us are very glad it is. These days we love the freedom of high speed cable Internet. When you finally make that switch from one to the other, you will be completely shocked at the difference. I laughed at my father who recently switched to high speed cable Internet from dial-up. He was utterly amazed at the newfound speed. If you are not up to date on quality Internet service, it's time to hop online and browse around. A popular high speed cable Internet service that many of us share is called Road Runner by Time Warner Cable Service. Take a surf through cyberspace with high speed cable Internet and you'll never go back to the inferior.
To wrap up our article about Broadband Internet I wish you luck in putting your new technology to use in your home/work life. In the last 20 years I have seen so many examples of new technology come and go I can't help feeling excited about what I'm going to see in the next 20 years. Although many people seem to feel a sense of foreboding about new things changing their lives in a negative way I must confess that I don't have this fear at all (at the ripe old age of 40 anyway). I understand that new and changing technology is not only inevitable but in fact is opening up more opportunities for us all than ever before in our history and we should only feel threatened if we choose to cling to the past and somehow expect the rest of the world around us to do the same.
About the Author
Mr James has owned The Cartridge Specialists (Melbourne) since 2004 selling ink, toner, fax rolls etc & regularly writes articles about his industry
How often do you use your Internet? I can hardly fathom computers at times. If I actually sit and think about all they do, I simply get confused. It's kind of like cassette tapes. Back when I was a child, I used to wonder how in the world does music come off of this magical tape. Well, it still makes little sense to me even after studying the process. The Internet is like this also. The World-Wide-Web takes us throughout cyberspace, but does it from our living rooms. It's phenomenal how we can lounge on our couches with laptops at hand and surf the planet. However, to do this the right way these days is with high speed cable Internet.
You may find it hard to choose between high speed cable Internet and DSL. If this is the case, ponder no more. Let me give you some basic advice about high speed cable Internet. There is no substitute. You probably hop online every day. Most of us send emails, pay our bills, do some work, and maybe surf the web on a regular basis. Don't you want the fastest speed when doing these routine chores? With high speed cable Internet you get things done at a much quicker pace. No more sitting around on your thumbs while waiting for a single page to load. Who wants to wait an hour for a movie trailer to open? You want to watch it now. You need high speed cable Internet. While DSL might save you a little; is it really worth sacrificing all of that time? Our lives are too valuable.
**Running Commentary** - Its interesting to note at this point that the cost of Broadband Internet is going to range in price quite a bit and you really need to first identify your needs and wants and when you go shopping make sure you don't overspend for features you want but don't really need. As technology so quickly becomes obsolete 1. many of the features will become obsolete 2. later models will be cheaper if not superseded by a later model with newer features and 3. are you going to actually have time to read the whole manual and understand how all the features work ? (I know I never figure out all the features of any new gadget or gizmo I buy)
Yes, there are a few individuals who suffer from the horrible affliction called dial-up. It's hard to believe anymore, but a few of us still deal with the ear-piercing screech and the constant disconnections. Dial-up is certainly a thing of the past, and most of us are very glad it is. These days we love the freedom of high speed cable Internet. When you finally make that switch from one to the other, you will be completely shocked at the difference. I laughed at my father who recently switched to high speed cable Internet from dial-up. He was utterly amazed at the newfound speed. If you are not up to date on quality Internet service, it's time to hop online and browse around. A popular high speed cable Internet service that many of us share is called Road Runner by Time Warner Cable Service. Take a surf through cyberspace with high speed cable Internet and you'll never go back to the inferior.
To wrap up our article about Broadband Internet I wish you luck in putting your new technology to use in your home/work life. In the last 20 years I have seen so many examples of new technology come and go I can't help feeling excited about what I'm going to see in the next 20 years. Although many people seem to feel a sense of foreboding about new things changing their lives in a negative way I must confess that I don't have this fear at all (at the ripe old age of 40 anyway). I understand that new and changing technology is not only inevitable but in fact is opening up more opportunities for us all than ever before in our history and we should only feel threatened if we choose to cling to the past and somehow expect the rest of the world around us to do the same.
About the Author
Mr James has owned The Cartridge Specialists (Melbourne) since 2004 selling ink, toner, fax rolls etc & regularly writes articles about his industry
The Broadband War - What Side Should You Take?
The days of dial-up are a long distant memory for many, although it's surprising to know that some people are still waiting for those strange whirring noises as they sit and connect to the internet through their standard phone line. And it's even more surprising when you consider that you can get broadband for roughly the same price as dial-up and it's so much faster, and of course doesn't tie up your phone line.
Around nine million households in the UK have now turned to broadband and are enjoying high speed internet access with rich graphic details and quick downloading of files. Some would even argue that you haven't really access the internet until you have used broadband and this could be why nearly 70,000 homes a week are signing up to broadband making it one of the fastest growing consumer products on the market.
But it's not just the promise of high-speeds and access to exclusive content that is causing so many people to switch to broadband, it is also the highly competitive market where speeds are increasing and prices are dropping, and even scrapped by some companies offering "free broadband".
The main reason for this increased competition in the market came last year when BT, which largely controls access to the internet via its copper wire telephone network, was told by Ofcom to open up its infrastructure to the competition, in the same way that it did so a few years back with home phone service providing. This meant that other companies could control the wire that runs from your telephone socket to the pole on your street, and on to the local exchange. The telecom term for this is "local loop unbundling", or LLU, and it sparked a process that has resulted in this summer's broadband price war.
The first company to make the first move in the broadband war was TalkTalk, part of the Carphone Warehouse, Britain's biggest mobile phone retailer, who had in recent years started to focus on home phone provision too. Not only did TalkTalk make the first move, but they also made the biggest and boldest, one that would change the provision of broadband for the foreseeable future - they offered "free broadband". Previously customers had been charged seperately for line rental, home phone calls and broadband. TalkTalk set out to change that and offered customers who signed up to their Talk3 package (which included line rental and calls) broadband for "free". Although it was not technically free as you had to buy something else to get it, you were in fact getting broadband for no extra cost.
The service was launched in April of this year with the company predicting around 170,000 new customers. However, these predictions were way out with actual demand nearing 340,000 within two months. The demand was too much and TalkTalk had to admit that they had underestimated the amount of new customers who wanted to take advantage of the package as their website crashed, their call centres couldn't cope with the amount of calls they were receiving and customers faced long delays to get their broadband connection.
The next company to enter the broadband price war was the mobile phone operator Orange. They started offering broadband packages after taking over Wanadoo but offered "free" broadband to mobile phone customers who spent a certain amount on their monthly phone bill. Again this was another free offer which required another product to be paid for in order to qualify but nonetheless was another bold step in the world of "free" broadband.
Finally, earlier this summer, the last of the "free" broadband contests was entered by Sky, the digital TV provider. They decided to offer "free" broadband to customers who subscribed to their satellite digital TV packages with the option to pay more to upgrade your connection speed and usage limit.
Although no other broadband providers, current or new, have yet to join the "free" broadband war, there has been a series of price cuts and service upgrades as each company seeks to retain current customers and attract new ones. As the prices drop and the service improves the market will become even more competitive and more and more people will not only connect to the internet to broadband, but existing users will become more likely to switch their supplier.
Around nine million households in the UK have now turned to broadband and are enjoying high speed internet access with rich graphic details and quick downloading of files. Some would even argue that you haven't really access the internet until you have used broadband and this could be why nearly 70,000 homes a week are signing up to broadband making it one of the fastest growing consumer products on the market.
But it's not just the promise of high-speeds and access to exclusive content that is causing so many people to switch to broadband, it is also the highly competitive market where speeds are increasing and prices are dropping, and even scrapped by some companies offering "free broadband".
The main reason for this increased competition in the market came last year when BT, which largely controls access to the internet via its copper wire telephone network, was told by Ofcom to open up its infrastructure to the competition, in the same way that it did so a few years back with home phone service providing. This meant that other companies could control the wire that runs from your telephone socket to the pole on your street, and on to the local exchange. The telecom term for this is "local loop unbundling", or LLU, and it sparked a process that has resulted in this summer's broadband price war.
The first company to make the first move in the broadband war was TalkTalk, part of the Carphone Warehouse, Britain's biggest mobile phone retailer, who had in recent years started to focus on home phone provision too. Not only did TalkTalk make the first move, but they also made the biggest and boldest, one that would change the provision of broadband for the foreseeable future - they offered "free broadband". Previously customers had been charged seperately for line rental, home phone calls and broadband. TalkTalk set out to change that and offered customers who signed up to their Talk3 package (which included line rental and calls) broadband for "free". Although it was not technically free as you had to buy something else to get it, you were in fact getting broadband for no extra cost.
The service was launched in April of this year with the company predicting around 170,000 new customers. However, these predictions were way out with actual demand nearing 340,000 within two months. The demand was too much and TalkTalk had to admit that they had underestimated the amount of new customers who wanted to take advantage of the package as their website crashed, their call centres couldn't cope with the amount of calls they were receiving and customers faced long delays to get their broadband connection.
The next company to enter the broadband price war was the mobile phone operator Orange. They started offering broadband packages after taking over Wanadoo but offered "free" broadband to mobile phone customers who spent a certain amount on their monthly phone bill. Again this was another free offer which required another product to be paid for in order to qualify but nonetheless was another bold step in the world of "free" broadband.
Finally, earlier this summer, the last of the "free" broadband contests was entered by Sky, the digital TV provider. They decided to offer "free" broadband to customers who subscribed to their satellite digital TV packages with the option to pay more to upgrade your connection speed and usage limit.
Although no other broadband providers, current or new, have yet to join the "free" broadband war, there has been a series of price cuts and service upgrades as each company seeks to retain current customers and attract new ones. As the prices drop and the service improves the market will become even more competitive and more and more people will not only connect to the internet to broadband, but existing users will become more likely to switch their supplier.
About the Author
Guide2Broadband discusses broadband options for residential customers, primarily for the UK market. Find out more about getting the best broadband option for your home at http://www.guide2broadband.com
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