What is an Internet Service Provider?
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a business that specialises in providing Internet access services or services to people on a user pays basis. There are many different ISPs to choose from. The following issues should be considered when selecting an ISP.
1. Where is your ISP?
Ensure you can connect to the ISP using a local telephone number. Internet access can become expensive if you are paying STD rates to connect. In remote areas you may not have a choice about paying STD rates, but still consider which ISP is closest since cost is usually a factor of distance.
Some providers offer a "local call" 1300 number Australia-wide but the cost for this kind of service will be added on top of your normal access fees.
2. How much will it cost?
Is there an up front account establishment charge? Some providers charge a fee when they create your account. Pricing for Internet access varies and may be calculated as follows:
(a) Timed
Timed internet access means you are charged according to the amount of time (eg by the hour) you connect to the Internet. This is a good system for casual users who are dialling in for specific tasks such as checking email and who would only use a few hours each month.
(b) Prepaid Timed
Prepaid timed means you purchase a particular amount of time per month. Once that time has been used you are then charged on an hourly basis. Generally if you do not use your allotted time for one month it is not available to you in the following months. The more hours you prepay, the cheaper it works out per hour. This is a very common form of internet pricing for dial-up access and is comparable to the way in which mobile phones are billed.
(c) Flat Rate
Is similar to prepaid timed accounts but instead of paying on an hourly basis once you’ve run out of your allotted time you are no longer permitted to use the service in the same way. Some services will prevent you from accessing the internet. Others will prompt you to buy extra time or offer you limited access to basic services such as email. This is a reassuring plan for people with a strict budget.
(d) Unlimited
Unlimited means you pay a specified amount for unlimited use. In reality you will be unlikely to have absolute unlimited access since most providers will have ways of terminating some users sessions in times of high congestion.
(e) Volume Charging
Volume charging means you pay by how many bytes of information you transmit rather than by how long you spend connected. This method is rarely used as most customers find it difficult to understand and difficult to keep account of.
3. Customer Support
It is important to investigate whether and what kind of support is available from the ISP. For example:
* Is there a Help Desk number you can call?
* When is that facility available?
* Does the ISP provide technical support?
* If so how far does it extend (eg can the ISP supply technicians to assist with establishing a connection)?
4. Storage Issues
Check whether there is a limit to how much email and web space you are allowed to use? There may be an additional charge for exceeding your limit. Most providers allow some space for web page publication. Check how much you are allowed to use and how much is charged if you exceed this limit. Storage may be an issue if you are signed onto an internet discussion list or news group which you access only intermittently. For example, if the service provider has only 9 gigabytes of storage and gets 3 gigabytes of news a day, articles will only be kept for 3 days. If you aren’t logged into your provider for three days, you will miss parts of the conversation because they’ve expired before you’ve had a chance to read them.
5. Online services
Does the ISP offer access to all internet services such as email, newsgroups and the web? Is there a different rate if you only wish to use email? Is there a filtering service that restricts access to questionable material? Do they provide access to online discussion forums such as USENet?
There may also be additional options offered which are not part of the standard access arrangement. This could include such services as permanent access and web design. If you want to deal with one company for all your Internet needs, you’ll need to ask the provider if they offer these services since most providers either offer "full services" or subcontract out any projects which they aren’t equipped to handle in-house.
6. Technical Capacity
(a) How fast are their modems?
The latest modem standard is V90. This allows transmission speeds up to 56kbps. Most providers are moving to support these modems. If your ISP has 33.6kbps modems and you have a 56kbps modem the connection speed will be set by the slower 33.6kbps modem.
(b) Modem to User Ratio
This is the number of customers compared with the number of modems the ISP has. The lower the ratio the better. For example, 5:1 means that for every five customers they have one modem. When an ISP says that they have a "no busy signal" this should indicate that they have a good customer to modem ratio. Checking the ratio should not be your sole consideration as timed providers may have a higher ratio but greater availability because users are connecting less often. A service providing unlimited access with a lower ratio may have lower availability due to the extra congestion.
(c) Does size matter?
Deciding whether to go with a ‘boutique’ service provider or larger nationwide provider will depend upon your individual needs and priorities. Smaller providers will generally charge less in an attempt to build up a client base. You are also likely to get a more personalised service as the owner will know you.
On the other hand, larger providers can offer you a more reliable, professional service, often with more readily available support. They will generally have greater band width than a smaller provider through economies of scale.
(d) Speed and Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the capacity an internet provider has to allow users online. Most providers will link themselves to the internet by working out the average number of people using their service at once. In such a case it is unlikely your ISP would be able to support all of its users downloading at full speed. Fortunately no-one needs that kind of access. Most people spend the bulk of their time reading or using materials which they have downloaded from the Internet.
As a guide the more bandwidth (capacity) the provider has in proportion to its number of lines, the less speed problems you should encounter. This is difficult to determine other than by asking other users about their own experiences as providers usually won’t disclose their subscriber numbers.
(e) Do they provide software? At what cost?
Microsoft Windows 95/98 provides you with the software you need to connect to the internet. Providers should give you all the remaining information necessary to access their network.
(f) Redundancy
Redundancy means the provider has back-up systems which will keep going if the primary system fails. This means loss of service can be minimised or eliminated. Many business who rely on internet access will need to choose a provider with fail-safe systems to minimise system failures that are under the provider’s control.
(g) Reliability and Support
Experience and stability are two good indicators of whether or not a network provider can provide a reliable connection. Look for a provider with redundant equipment at all major switching hubs and redundant backbone links so that no single failure will isolate part of the network.
Even the best networks fail occasionally and all providers will have outages. The critical factor is how quickly the ISP fixes problems. At a minimum, the ISP should have some kind of network monitoring system which collects performance statistics on various computers throughout the network allowing providers to recognize problems within minutes of occurrence. This can mean that problems get fixed before you even notice them.
If problems cannot be resolved immediately, good ISPs have a trouble ticket system in place to track a problem until it is resolved. Ask about the ISP’s escalation procedures for trouble tickets. This should describe what happens when a problem goes unsolved for a period of time.
In case anything goes wrong, technical staff should be available to respond to calls. For critical connections, there should be a Network Operation Centre (NOC) which offers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week support. Finally, be sure to ask for references and use them to ask about the provider’s reliability and support.
(h) Points of Presence (POP) and Price
The closer an ISP’s POP is to the customer’s site, the less expensive it will be to connect to the network from that site. It is important to look at how a given ISP is connected to other components of the internet. Look for a provider with many direct connections to other national and international components of the Internet and make sure they do not have restrictions on the type of traffic. Note that price isn’t necessarily a good measure of the quality of service. Don’t assume that a more expensive service is better.
7. Product Range and Value Added Capabilities
Depending on your needs, it may be important to choose a provider with a broad range of products and services. ISPs should be able to offer a full range of direct connection services ranging from 56 kbps to a T3 line. A T3 line is a very high speed connection and generally only used as a major networking artery for large corporations or universities with high-volume network traffic. For remote offices or mobile users, the ISP should offer dial-up services for modem connection or ISDN service.
You may want services to help you to make the Internet more friendly, useful, and secure. For example, a full-service provider will sell or lease all of the networking equipment required (such as a router and a CSU/DSU). Many providers even manage the router, server, and security for you. Some ISPs also provide other services, such as registering a domain name or handling all the logistics of obtaining a connection through the local phone company.
8.Specific Questions to ask a Potential Service Provider
(a) What connection services do they offer?
(b) How much will it cost and how do you charge? (eg by volume, time)
(c) Is there a discount for paying in advance ?
(d) What support will I get and when is support available?
(e) What is the modem to customer ratio? (10:1 = common; 7:1 = better; 20:1 = worse)
(f) Do I get any space for my own Website?
(g) How often do you send bills? What payment method is used?
(h) What are your busiest times? What are my chances of getting access at these times?
(i) What software do I get to connect to the Internet? Are these the latest versions?
(j) Why should I choose you?
(k) What is included in the cost? Some common costs include the circuit cost (installation and monthly charge); the router (cost of on-site router, cost of off-site router); the type of hardware/software; maintenance (ask what maintenance is included); membership fees.
(l) What support services do they offer?
(m) Do they fix the router when it’s broken?
(n) Do they require 24-hour access to the physical location?
(o) Do they require that an on-site person be available to assist them?
(p) What training is available? Is it included in the above cost?
(q) Do they have an acceptable use policy?
(r) Do they have a full time professional staff?
(s) Are there limitations to connecting to other parts of the Internet (that is, can you get everywhere you need to get)?
(t) Can they provide references from other clients?
Other relevant Articles on this site:
Telecommunications law
Other relevant Fact Sheets:
Consumer Protection
Online Contracts
Privacy
Telecommunications (long version)
Telecommunications (short version)
End Notes