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Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are by far the most popular means of connection. Individuals and small businesses access the Net through gateways provided by firms such as America Online, Australia Online, CompuServe, GEnie, and Prodigy. Such access is accomplished through a dialup connection and via a modem over an analog local loop. The user, through the circuit-switched PSTN, dials a local number associated with a X.25 packet node provided by VAN network providers such as BT Tymnet (BT) and SprintNet (Sprint) in the United States, and Datapac (Bell Canada) in Canada. Some providers provide only limited access to Internet resources, generally to e-mail. Examples of limited access providers, at the time of this writing, include AT&T EasyLink, MCI Mail, and The Well (Whole Earth ’Lectronic Link).

Major IXCs also have gotten into the act, led by AT&T and MCI. AT&T’s entry was announced in February 1996 at a stunning cost to its long-distance customers of $0.00 for the first five hours of usage for the first year; each additional hour is priced at $2.50. AT&T also offers an unlimited access option for $19.95. Non-AT&T customers will pay slightly higher costs, which still are highly competitive [13-20]. Within the first 9 weeks of the offering, AT&T claimed to have signed up 150,000 customers, making it the second largest pure access provider in the United States. Netcom On-Line Communication claims to be the largest with 400,000 customers [13-21]. Other notable ISPs include ANS CO+RE Systems, BBN Planet Corp., CerfNet, Global enterprise Services, and UUNET Technologies [13-22]. Subject to regulatory approvals, UUNET has announced its merger with MFS, one of the largest Competitive Access Providers (CAPs). The merger will create the only ISP with fiber optic local loops and inter-city facilities [13-23] and [13-24]. UUNET also has announce plans to collocate its own ADSL equipment in LEC central offices in order to speed access rates. The company will achieve high-speed access over standard local-loops without paying higher LEC rates for ADSL services [13-25].

All of the RBOCs have announced plans and field trials for Internet access as well. Pacific Bell announced in June 1996 that it immediately would offer dialup access at 28.8 Kbps. The installation charges were waived until September 1, and the rates are highly competitive with other ISPs [13-26]. PacBell charges $19.95 per month for unlimited usage; less intensive users have the option of $9.95 per month for 10 hours of usage, with additional usage billed at the rate of $1.00 per hour and a ceiling of $19.95. This type of aggressive pricing likely will be typical over the next several years as the RBOCs, AT&T and others seek to gain a strong foothold in the Internet access market.

Finally, there exist a huge number of small, local and regional ISPs. Typically locally-owned and privately-held, they provide low-cost service on a dialup basis. Largely, they support analog dialup access to a communications server via modem pools. They also typically support ISDN access, and some support Frame Relay, as well. They generally lease T1 or FT1 circuits from the LEC CO to their server location, and from there to the backbone service provider as illustrated in Figure 13.4. Facing tremendous pressure from the likes of AT&T, UUNET, PacBell and others with deep pockets, their futures are uncertain.


Figure 13.4  Access to the Internet via PSTN connection to an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Public Access Providers

Public Access Providers offer direct access to an IP host for full Internet access. Examples include CERFnet, CICnet, JVNCnet (Global Enterprise Services), Netcom, PSInet (Performance Systems International), UKnet, and The World. Such direct access requires that the appropriate access protocols be installed on the connecting host computer, whether it be an individual workstation or mainframe. Similarly, LANs will connect through a bridge or router. While such connections are more costly, they prove effective for more active users.

SLIP and PPP

The access protocols, which are loadable software, allow the user to connect through a modem, appearing to the Net as though the connection were direct. The access protocols comprise SLIP (Serial Line Interface Protocol) and PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol), which is a more powerful version of SLIP, offering less overhead and improved error performance. LAN connections require that the TCP/IP protocol stack run alongside the LAN network operating system (NOS).

Direct Connections

Direct connections are provided to large user organizations, and to those who use the Net intensively, through a large number of companies that specialize in that business. The largest such company is Advanced Networks and Services (ANS), a consortium of IBM, MCI, and Merit Network [13-7] and which recently was acquired by America Online. (Merger Mania strikes again!). Direct access can be on the basis of any number of alternatives, including ISDN, DDS ([ge]56/64 Kbps), DS-Carrier (E1/T1-E3/T3) and Frame Relay.

CATV Access

CATV access to the Net, in a convergence scenario, is being proposed by a number of companies. Perhaps the first serious proposal is from a new company, @home. @home proposes to deliver bandwidth of up to 10 Mbps over CATV facilities, beginning in Sunnyvale, CA and extending to selected cities in 1996. While CATV providers don’t exactly have a sterling reputation for service quality, many of them rapidly are upgrading their networks to compete in a convergence scenario (Chapter 15). Assuming that the upgrades take place and that two-way systems are installed, cable modems promise to deliver as much as 10 Mbps, which will far exceed what typically is available via more traditional carrier alternatives [13-27].

Internet Access Costs

The cost of Net usage is pretty reasonable. It largely is free for college and university students and faculty, and a privileged few others, although nominal charges sometimes apply. U.S. tax dollars have funded much of the Net and still do, although private enterprise has taken over in large part. Access can be either on a dialup or dedicated basis, with costs varying widely between and within those options.


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