This is a guide to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which are companies or organizations that provide services for accessing the Internet. ISPs may be privately owned, non-profit, or community-owned.
Originally known as ARPAnet, the Internet was developed as a network between government research laboratories and participating university departments. Later, other organizations and companies joined through a direct connection to the backbone, or by arrangement made with other connected companies, often using dialup tools. By the late 1980s, arrangements were made for limited public or commercial use of the Internet, and the remaining restrictions were lifted in the early 1990s, when the World Wide Web was introduced.
CompuServe, Delphi, Prodigy, UUNet, PSINet, America Online, Earthlink, and Mindspring were early ISPs, some of them beginning limited services in the 1980s, but full access was not readily available to the public. In 1989, the first commercial Internet Service Providers began offering direct public access to the Internet for a monthly fee, in Australia and the United States. The World was the first commercial ISP in the United States, its first customer logging on in November of 1989.
Early ISPs offered dial-up connections, using the public telephone network to provide last-mile connections to their customers. Although several ISPs emerged to offer dial-up services, telephone lines in many parts of the United States, and elsewhere in the world, were insufficient to allow for a reliable connection. With local access dialup numbers and an advertising campaign that included mailing unsolicited free trial discs on CD-ROM, America Online (AOL) quickly became the first ISP for many Americans throughout the country, including rural communities that did not have cable companies or any other means of access.
In the larger cities, cable television providers began offering cable access to the Internet, as they already have wired connections to their customers, allowing speeds that were much better than dialup speeds, using broadband technology. In areas that were served by cable television, they quickly became the dominant ISPs, while many of the early dialup companies went out of business.
Then, the telephone companies began getting into the business, offering high-speed Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) services to customers who lived near enough to one of its telephone switch stations.
Today, there are still some parts of the United States where dialup access to the Internet continues to be the only available option, but a range of technologies have allowed most users to connect at speeds much higher than dialup speeds. These technologies range from computer modems with acoustic couplers to telephone lines, television cable, Wi-Fi, and fiber optics. Options for connecting to the Internet include dialup, DSL, typically Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), cable modems, or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Wi-Fi, satellite access, and infrastructures in some parts of the country allow for home access to fiber optics. Larger businesses or organizations with more demanding requirements may have access to higher-speed DSL, Ethernet options, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), and some others.
The most typical type of ISP is the access provider. Other types of ISPs include Virtual ISPs, who purchase services from another ISP and are, in a sense, resellers. Free ISPs provide service without charge. Many free ISPs display advertisements to the user while he is connected, while a smaller percentage of them are run on a non-profit basis, and staffed by volunteers. Wireless ISPs offers services over the airwaves, similar to home wireless networks, only made available to a wider area.
The focus of this category is in Internet Service Providers, of any kind. Provider sites, as well as informational sites that are concentrated on ISPs or ISP services, are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Aristotle is a national Internet Service Provider and wireless Internet service provider offering reliable connectivity, business class digital voice, email, and hosting services, including 24/7 technical support. Its business, home, and community ISP plans are highlighted, and its features are posted. The company’s managed hosting plans for small businesses, organizations, and schools are described, including visitor tracking, web reports, and customizable solutions.
https://www.aristotle.net/
Previously known as SBC Internet Service, AT&T Internet Services is a trade name for Internet services provided by several companies, offering three levels of Internet services, as well as packages including television programming, smart device connectivity, and other services, depending on location. Through their online account, customers may check their Internet speeds, request support, access security services or online gaming, upgrade the level of service, or move their services.
https://www.att.com/internet/
Founded in 1969 as a computer time-sharing service, CompuServe became the first service to offer electronic mail capabilities and technical support to personal computer users and became the first online service offering real-time chat in 1980, offering wide-area networking to corporate clients by 1982. Since 1998, CompuServe has been a wholly owned subsidiary of America Online, currently providing products and access for Internet users at home or at work.
https://www.compuserve.com/
Based in Petersburg, Michigan, D&P Communications provides industry-best cable, voice, and Internet services to residential and business customers throughout southeastern Michigan. In order to ensure that customers get what they need, the company operates locally and offers its services individually or bundled together. Its services, coverage maps, and service areas are defined, along with help guides, its community involvement programs, and online bill pay.
http://www.d-pcommunications.com/
Established in 1999, DSLReports is a venue for sharing Internet Service Provider reviews, news about the ISP industry, and technical information. Only registered users can submit reviews, but anyone can view published reviews, charts, and the latest reviews. Other resources include several Internet speed test options, including storing historical results, and several tools for various tasks relating to the reliability and functionality of Internet connections.
http://www.dslreports.com/
Founded in 1994, EarthLink offers Internet access, email, web hosting, and various privacy and security products to customers throughout the United States. Its ISP plans include satellite Internet, which is available nationwide, as well as DSL services, and its fastest service, HyperLink Internet. A mobile app for IOS and Android are also available. Also available are web design and development services, hosting services, and search engine optimization.
https://www.earthlink.net/
Offering comparisons and a guide to high-speed Internet providers in the United States, the site is available in English and Spanish. Providers may be found by zip code, an interactive map of the United States, or through lists of what the site deems to be the best Internet providers, and the cheapest Internet providers. The Internet plans for each are displayed, including user ratings and maximum download speeds. Also included is an overview of the types of ISPs.
https://www.highspeedinternet.com/
HughesNet is a trademark of Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar company. Specializing in satellite Internet access, HughesNet is able to provide high-speed Internet service wherever there is a clear view of the Southern sky, even in rural areas where DSL, cable, or other options are unavailable. Available plans and pricing are area-specific. Its site offers a description of satellite Internet installations and how the technology works, as well as the features offered.
https://www.hughesnet.com/
Offering dedicated high-speed residential and business Internet services, cable Internet services, T1, bonded T1, and fiber Internet, and ISDN data services, Interlync was established in 1993. The company also provides website design and hosting services, email hosting, spam and virus filtering, and telephone services. Customers may access their accounts through the site, request support services, check their network status, and make changes to their accounts.
http://www.interlync.com/
Based in London, Luminet is an intelligent managed services provider offering business connectivity, computing, and intelligent services and solutions, maintaining a peer-to-peer relationship with its customers, and has the UK’s leading NPS customer satisfaction score of 42 in telecoms and technology. Options include Wi-Fi, Always On for businesses, fiber connections, multi-tenant Internet, and cloud services. Availability may be checked online.
https://luminet.co.uk/
NetZero began offering Internet access in the late 1990s and is currently offering dialup services, DSL broadband, and mobile broadband services, as well as the NetZero Hotspot, a wireless Internet device, or wireless services through a user’s own device, with six levels of connectivity to choose from. Other services offered by the company include computer tune-up services, education and entertainment services, or a Value Pack that includes these services.
https://www.netzero.net/
Founded in 1993, the company originally offered long distance telephone services, toll-free 800 services, and calling cards, moving into Internet provision in the mid-1990s, and it currently offers a variety of cloud services, and traditional voice and data services, including MPLS, private lines, Ethernet, colocation, frame relay, VPN, and cable, as well as 3G, 4G, and fixed wireless, and satellite services. Its services and partnerships are featured, and contacts are posted to the site.
https://www.psi-net.com/
Offering digital-level Wi-Fi analytics, Wi-Fi locations, data, Wi-Fi custom analytics, and guest Wi-Fi analytics to brick-and-mortar locations, Spatial Code allows venues the ability to collect data on people, devices, and applications in their networks. Its services include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies, and mobile connected and network hardware, but with a focus on strategic planning, consulting innovations, and marketing.
https://www.spatialcode.com/
Established in 1989, The World was the second commercial Internet Service Provider in the world, first offering public access to the Internet in November of 1989, amid threats by government and university installations to shut it down. Operated by Software Tool & Die, the Boston, Massachusetts ISP currently offers text-based dialup and PPP dialup services with access numbers throughout Canada, the United States, and Puerto Rico, as well as a Usenet feed, personal web space, and hosting services.
http://www.theworld.com/
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Toast Net offers residential and business Internet access plans, with broadband speeds up to 1,000 Mbps, and no data caps or throttling on DSL and fiber service, and no bundle required. Residential customers may choose between fiber or DSL, available in twenty-one states, cable Internet, available in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan, or a mobile hotspot, available nationwide. Business solutions include Internet access, web design, and managed services.
https://www2.toast.net/
Xfinity is a trade name of Comcast Cable Communications, and a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, which markets consumer cable television and streaming services, Internet services, telephone, and wireless services. Each of its services is described, including pricing and other details, along with its home security services, offering two monthly subscription plans. Special offers may be included. Customers may access their accounts online.
https://www.xfinity.com/
