ISP

An ISP, or Internet Service Provider, is a company that offers Internet access services, either to individuals or to other companies.

In order to surf the Internet, you have to pay for the Internet access service from an ISP, either through a monthly subscription or by buying a one-off access package. They are the means of access to the Internet for all users and therefore to services such as video streaming, content search, email access, shopping in online stores, video calls, access to FTP servers, etc.

1. types of Internet service providers

ISPs offer different types of Internet access, such as ADSL access, cable access, satellite access or the most widely used today, fiber optic access. Some types of ISPs are:

• Dial-up ISPs
  These were the most common years ago and provide access to the network via a telephone line and a modem. This kind of connection is very cheap, but also very slow, and this type of service became obsolete after the implementation of fiber optics and faster connections.
• DSL ISP
  This is a high-speed modem connection service that uses the copper wiring present in most homes. The connection speed is high, but depends largely on the physical distance between the home and the ISP’s telephone exchange.
• Cable ISP
  This type of ISP offers Internet access via a coaxial cable (the same one used for the TV signal). In the same way as above, a modem is required.
• Radio frequency ISP (wireless broadband)
  Service offered in remote locations with complex access, where there is no cable infrastructure. Internet ISPs that use radio frequency antennas can offer their services (usually in rural areas and at a high cost).
• Satellite ISP
  In this case, the ISP uses wireless satellite connections to offer Internet service in remote areas (without antenna infrastructure or cable infrastructure). These satellite connections generally offer fast download speeds, but very slow upload speeds.
• Fiber optic ISP
  This is currently the most popular type of connection, both for companies and individuals (in urban environments). It offers very high connection speeds; several clients can use the same structure, which in theory should reduce costs.

2. Difference between ISP and hosting provider

ISPs, in addition to Internet access, generally have a diversified business and usually offer more services to their customers, such as cable television. To a lesser extent, they offer web hosting services, but an ISP is often confused with a hosting provider.

As a general rule, a hosting provider doesn’t offer ISP services, but an ISP does sometimes offer hosting services.

However, hosting companies are customers of ISPs, connecting their network infrastructure to that of one or more ISPs to serve their customers (who mainly host their websites on the hosting provider’s servers).

3) How do I know what is my ISP?

To find out what is your ISP, just check the bills you pay to access the internet. But if you can’t check the bill now, you can easily find out your ISP with the help of a web browser.

Just go to any of these sites: whoismyisp.org, spyber.com or ipcheck.org and they will automatically reveal the full details of your Internet connection, including your ISP, usually found as: ISP:, My ISP: or Organization:.