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Internet
Service Providers Summarized
by ECAT |
Price
Quotes as of May 2003. This information
is also available on-line at cals.arizona.edu/multimedia/isp/isp.html.
NOTE: The following analysis and
comparison was conducted by ECAT for the purpose of exploring Internet service
provider (ISP) options. No
vendor or commercial entity is meant to be endorsed by ECAT, and data is
presented for comparison purposes only. Prices and vendors change
regularly. The most desirable contract
depends on your individual use. For more information, and up-to date pricing,
contact the individual vendor at the number or website listed.
Choosing
an ISP can involve many different considerations, and often the choices may be
very similar. A typical user is one that
uses a 56K modem for dial-up service, is on-line 1-2 hours per day, and uses
the service primarily at home.
Dial-Up
ISPs –
Listed on the reverse side is information for local (
High
Speed Internet Access – Depending on where you are located, you may be able to get
high-speed Internet access to your home.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Loop) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network) are available through Qwest (1-800-996-2347 or qwest.com), for
approximately $40 per month. Other
companies often resell DSL service, but you must still subscribe, and be
available for, Qwest service. Cable
Internet access is available through Cox Communications (
Free
Internet Access – Three major “free” Internet providers are listed below. Slow connection speeds, network availability,
and service interruptions are often factors in dealing with a free ISP, as well
as limited technical support, but if you want to get online for free,
you must be willing to tolerate the occasional hiccups. Also, with all free providers, advertisement
banner ads will appear on your screen during the time you are online. Most
providers of a free service also have an upgrade to a monthly fee service, with
increased benefits and features. Each also offers a $9.95 monthly service with
unlimited hours.
For
more information, contact:
NetZero
(netzero.com) – 10 hours per month of Internet access available.
Juno (juno.com) – 10 hours per month of Internet
access available.
DotNow (dotnow.com) – Unlimited free Internet
access, but there is a setup fee.
Issues to Consider:
Network Reliability:
How often is the network unavailable?
What is the frequency of network outages? How many users does the company have, and
what measures are in place to support them?
You do not want to be in the middle of a session surfing the Internet
when your connection goes down and have to re-connect often.
Bandwidth:
What is the capacity of the Internet connection, and is it able to transfer
large files from one location to another?
This is particularly important if you are interested in viewing
multimedia files on-line. Find out what
the ISP is willing to guarantee in terms of a minimum bandwidth.
Cost:
Before you sign up with an ISP, make sure to understand all of the payment
options. Often there is a discounted
rate for paying 6 to 12 months at a time.
There may also be plans that give you a certain number of hours per
month for a flat fee, or plans that offer unlimited access. Assess how many hours you think you will be
on the Internet, and whether it is more economical to pay less for a limited
number of hours.
Support:
Think about how much help you might need to get online, use Internet software,
or surf the web. Not all companies offer
24/7 phone support, and some “free” Internet companies will charge for any and
all support. If you are a novice
computer user, and think you might need help setting up and using the service,
you may wish to consider one of the larger, national ISPs, which have an
established support system in place. Ask
if a local or toll-free number is available.
Special
Services: Most ISPs offer a no-frills service, which is
basically a phone connection to the Internet through which you access the web
and email. Some offer you a specialized
Internet browser, a large area or web space (for a personal website), and other
frills that enhance your online experience.
Think about what you would use the Internet for (email, surfing, games,
shopping, music) and whether or not using instant
messaging or a specialized browser is something that you want, or need.
Speed:
How fast do you need your Internet to be?
Are you frustrated by seemingly long waits to download a web page or
file? The most inexpensive Internet
connections are those that download via a phone line to a 56K modem. Often, other faster downloads are available,
but at a price. DSL, cable, and wireless
broadband connect you to the Internet at speed much faster than a 56K modem,
but may not be available in your area, or cost almost double what a dial-up
connection costs. If you are willing to
pay for a faster connection, and frustrated by the slow speed of dial-up,
consider a broadband ISP.
Connection
Availability: There should be at least two access numbers that
are a local call to connect to the Internet.
If an ISP has a large number of subscribers, you may encounter a busy
signal when you dial-up. Ask what
redundancy features the company has to allow for multiple connections to the
Internet’s backbone. While no ISP is
able to guarantee 100% connection every time you call, consider that you are
paying for a service and would like to have it available when you want to use
it.
Email:
Often ISPs offer the subscriber an email account and address with their
service, and sometimes offer more than one for an entire family to have
email. Consider whether you want this
feature, or need it, beyond your primary college/university email account
(which can be accessed via the web).
Also
consider what the email size limits are, in sending or receiving
attachments. Often the size of the
attachment is limited to 5-10 MB, meaning that while you could download hundreds
of megabytes of files daily, if you were to send a single 10MB email message (a
number of photos, for example), it would get rejected.
Travel:
To access your account when you are away from home or traveling, look for a
service with a nationwide toll-free access number, or
local numbers in your usual destination cities.
If you are with a local ISP, they might not have an option to allow you
to connect if you are out of the local area.
Also
keep in mind that what might appear as a local number,
may actually be a toll call within the same area code. Verify that the numbers you call to connect
are actually toll-free or local.
A
note about DakotaCom.net – The