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What is a ISP (Internet Service Provider)?
An ISP (Internet service
provider) is a company that provides individuals and other companies
access to the Internet and other related services such as Web site
building and virtual hosting.
An ISP has the equipment and the
telecommunication line access required to have a point-of-presence
on the Internet for the geographic area served.
The larger ISPs have their own high-speed leased lines so that they
are less dependent on the telecommunication providers and can
provide better service to their customers. Among the largest
national and regional ISPs are AT&T WorldNet, IBM Global Network,
MCI, Netcom, UUNet, and PSINet.
ISPs also include regional providers such as New England's NEARNet and the San Francisco Bay area BARNet. They also include thousands of local providers. In addition, Internet users can also get access through online service providers (OSP) such as America Online and Compuserve.
The larger ISPs interconnect with each other through MAE (ISP switching centers run by MCI WorldCom) or similar centers. The arrangements they make to exchange traffic are known as peering agreements. There are several very comprehensive lists of ISPs world-wide available on the Web.
An ISP is also sometimes referred to as an IAP (Internet access provider). ISP is sometimes used as an abbreviation for independent service provider to distinguish a service provider that is an independent, separate company from a telephone company.
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