So Many Choices: Broadband Connection Providers

In today's market there are many more choices in broadband connection providers than there were even five years ago. Technology is advancing at an amazing rate, and as one part advances, it spurs advancements in another part, which then requires more changes in the first. Such is what has happened with the internet and broadband connection providers.

Not long ago there was no such thing as a broadband connection provider. The only connection that users had to the internet was dial up access. Dial up was slow and painful, especially by today's standards. With dial up access, only one user could be on the internet at a time. In addition, if a phone call happened to come through, it would kick the user off of the internet. Dialing out phone calls was not an option either, which meant a user could only do one thing at a time, which is also unthinkable by today's standards. Downloads could take hours to complete, that is if it did not get interrupted by a phone call. All in all, dial up connection to internet was not very efficient.

Types of Broadband

Today there are three main options in regard to broadband connection providers. Each of these options is remarkably faster than dial up. Because of the speed increase, web developers have been able to be more creative with the types of applications they have created, allowing for more media downloads, such as video, pictures and music. The web has grown to be more and more social because of it, allowing users to share information, likes and dislikes, and let the world know who they are.

Satellite broadband connection providers are probably the least viable option for most people due to the price. In addition, the speed of satellite connections still does not match cable or DSL, so it is not as favored among internet devotees. It is faster than wireless broadband providers, which are at this point only glorified dial up providers with a little more muscle and speed. Satellite dishes cost anywhere from one hundred to five hundred dollars, depending on the speed desired, which most families are reluctant to spend.

Cable broadband connection providers are still the most common, although DSL providers are close on their heals. Both providers supply approximately the same speed of service, options for businesses, and cost, including bundling of phone and TV with internet. The down side of cable is that the bandwidth can get 'clogged' with users at high usage times of day, such as evenings, thus slowing down speed. DSL has the same issue the further customers live from the main phone office.