|
Commercial use of the internet began in the early 1990s
with companies such as MindSpring serving limited customers and connections
starting in 1994. Many companies started out small using homemade software
and server facilities in their garages. Users of these services would
pay around 20 – 40 dollars per month for a dial-up connection with
an average speed of 9.6 kbit/s to 14.4 kbit/s and these connections were
often very unreliable. At the same time, much larger companies such as
America Online (AOL) had developed their own networks using proprietary
for connecting to the internet. Therefore, AOL was a separate network
from the Internet and one that no longer exists.
In 1998 v.90 was developed bringing users connection and
download speeds of up to 56.6 kbit/s. Larger companies began to offer
internet services using advertising to propel the acceptance of the Internet.
Internet prices also began to stabilize with the average price for a dial-up
connection being around $19.95 per month for unlimited access.
The battle over broadband access began by the early 2000s.
DSL, which was through phone lines, provided a faster, more reliable connection
than traditional dial-up access. Cable companies became ISPs by offering
broadband services through cable modems. Smaller ISPs however did not
have access to the cable system and DSL was too expensive so many of these
smaller companies began using wireless technology to provide broadband
access. The use of this wireless technology paved the way for the wireless
networks that are in common use today.
As of 2005 the larger ISPs are turning a profit through
a combination of wired, wireless, and content services. One major challenge
of the near future is free wireless broadband access, possibly provided
as a municipality.
Copyright © 2008 Internet Service Internet Providers.com. |
