CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

By connecting their customers to the web, Internet Service Providers
(ISPs) enable people to work, socialize, trade and read or watch content
online. As such, Internet providers offer an invaluable service to their clients.
Of course, to get the most out of your online experience, you need to choose
the best Internet Service Provider. So who is the best Internet Provider? But
before selecting the best Internet Service Provider the customer must know
what are the things needed to access the internet. These are the following:
1. Computer Any computer can be used to get connected to the
internet.
2. Programs Special programs are used on the internet. These
programs are given free of cost by most service providers.
3. Modem serves in exchanging information between a computer
and the internet.
4. Telephone Line All internet information travels over the
telephone lines.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Line it is an
international

telecommunications

standard

for

transmitting

voice, video and data over digital lines running at 64 kilobits per
second (kbps). The telephone companies commonly use a 64
kbps channel for digitized, two way voice conversations. ISDN
service is available in most parts of India.
5. Speakers allows us to hear music, voice and other sounds
generated by the computer.
6. Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that provides
access to the Internet like VSNL, Satyam, Mantraonline, Now,
etc.
The Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company provides access to the
Internet for a monthly fee. The service provider gives you a software
package, username, password and access phone number. Equipped with a
modem, you can then log on to the Internet and browse the World Wide Web
and send and receive e-mails.

Choosing and locating an ISP is easy. Even a local newspapers

business section provides a list. You may also browse through the Yellow
Pages of your directory for some of the best ISPs. Scanning through
computer or Internet magazines include listings of Internet access providers
at the national level.
It is hard to find an ISP that offers global access, though. For example,
Microsoft Network (MSN) is available only to Windows users. America Online
(AOL) and CompuServe both offer access overseas with local dialups in many
countries and regions. Though AOL is not so popular due to its undeserved
newbies only status, it is the largest non - Internet ISP in the world.
CompuServe, incidentally, also has global dial-up services.
There is a multitude of reliable ISPs, including well-known companies
like AT&T and IBM, most local telephone companies, national Internet
companies, MSN, and dozens of regional and local providers. To locate an ISP
in your place of residence, inquire from computer software stores or ask an
Internet consultant for recommendations. Most internauts (frequent Internet
users) can help you find the best ISP available.
Residential communities nowadays are being constructed already prewired for high-speed cable or other access to the Internet because some
cable companies provide Internet access. If you live in such a lucky
neighborhood, you may inquire and avail of some of these services.
Choose your ISP well. Remember that an ISP gives you access to the
Internet. It serves as a gatekeeper or toll collector that allows you, once
youve checked at the gates, to pull into the high-speed lane.
There are many other ways to obtain access to the Internet, Schools,
corporate groups, businesses and even communities offer access via
freenets (a free public network). There are several things to bear in mind
when selecting an ISP: location, stability, customer service, performance,
and price.
Choosing the wrong ISP can be disastrous. To ensure that you make the
right choice, you need to consider a number of factors -- from uptime to
capacity to equipment to field response.

Internet service providers (ISPs) have become critical IT infrastructure

partners. As cloud computing, email, and Internet connectivity have grown in
importance, so too have the circuits that connect organizations to the
Internet. When selecting an ISP, don't base your choice only on price or
familiarity.
Having a small remote or home office can be a great productivity
enhancer. That being said, it can quickly become an island without
establishing a connection to your companys main network. Although
choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP) might sound easy, there are many
important yet often overlooked topics to consider in order for you to find your
ideal ISP match.
These are some of the things to consider in choosing an Internet Service
Provider:
Determine your needs
With the abundance of ISPs today, it may be tempting to just go with
the quickest or cheapest option. While that could save you money in the
short term, doing so could wind up causing you a lot more headachesand
lost productivityover the long term.
Internet service is internet service, right? You find out who the provider
is that offers service in your area, connect it and get rolling. Sounds simple
enough, but the fact is selecting an internet service provider is much more
complicated for businesses. Whether you are an existing office looking to
upgrade their connection, renew your existing contract or building out a
completely new location there are a few things you should consider when
selecting an ISP for your business.
You need to categorize yourself as per the usage youll be making on
the internet. Typically, lower usage leads to lower bills. You can be a heavy,
medium or a light user according to the criteria below:

Heavy users are those who constantly make use of online services. The
bandwidth requirement for this category is over 50GB. An unlimited
package is the most appropriate choice for those under this category.

Medium users use provisions like video streaming, multiplayer gaming,

social networking, etc. which are real bandwidth hogs. The monthly

bandwidth requirement for this category is about 30GB.

Light users are those who dont use online provisions frequently. For
example, they would only use web browsing and email for about one or
two hours a day. The bandwidth requirement for this category is
usually 5GB a month.
With aggressive advertising for cable and fiber-optic broadband

services everywhere you look, and complicated "combo packs" that include
various combinations of phone, Internet and broadband, choosing an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) can be intimidating. Before you take the plunge, shop
the different types of broadband and make sure you ask the right questions
so you know exactly what you're getting from your ISP and what your backup
plan is if things don't work out. ISPs use various technologies to connect their
clients to the Internet. First of all it is important to note that the term
broadband covers many types of internet connections like cable, satellite,
DSL, and fiber optic service.
There are two primary types of internet service. Standard (also known
as High Speed or broadband service) and High Availability service. The first
group includes options like cable and DSL and typically offers higher speeds,
but lower quality and reliability of service. This option is significantly cheaper
in most cases. The High Availability class of services provides a Service Level
Agreement for uptime that usually exceeds 99.99% or approximately 2 hours
of downtime per year. These connections include options such as T1s (older,
less common) and newer Fiber Optic connections (also called Ethernet or
Metro E in some markets). The important difference here that youll want to
take note of is the Service Level Agreement option and how dependent your
business is on an internet connection. If your business cannot risk any form
of interruption, its important that you choose an ISP that can offer a Service
Level Agreement guaranteeing uptime.

The ISP you choose must offer the type of connection you want to use,
to access the internet. For example, if you want to use a high-speed cable
modem connection, you will need an ISP that offers cable modem service.
Types of Broadband
The type of broadband available to you depends on what technology
the providers in your area offer. The three most common types of residential
broadband service are:
1. Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), which transmit data through
phone lines without interfering with telephone service. Local
phone companies typically offer DSL services.
2. Cable modems, which provide access to the Internet over cable
lines without interfering with your cable television service. Cable
modem Internet access typically is offered by the same
companies that offer cable TV services in your area.
3. Fiber-optic broadband (FiOS is Verizon's service), which is a new
and faster type of broadband service. The same fiber optic line
providing your broadband service simultaneously can deliver
phone and video (television) services. Fiber optic broadband is
currently available only in certain areas. Fiber optic technology is
the most expensive because data transmission speeds can reach
200

mbps

or

even

more,

making

it

ideal

for

downloading/streaming video content or large files.

Speed of your Connection
ISPs provide users with different service levels or plans for every
connection type. The major point of difference between the service levels is
the bandwidth speed. Since highspeed internet connection is essential in
any business environment, choosing the right speed is one of the major
decisions a business owner must make.
Calculating your business speed requirements can be complicated, but
its very important to ensure that you have enough speed for everyday use,
including peak times (such as large meetings or training evolutions). You
don't want to frustrate users because you're not paying for enough
bandwidth for your office. If your applications are web-based or hosted in the

cloud, or you have a VoIP phone system there is likely higher usage
involved and youll need to answer these questions to better understand
your speed and connection needs to avoid continuity issues for your
employees and systems.
Speeds vary and depend on a variety of factors including what type of
service you are using, what level or tier of service you have purchased and
how congested your network and the Internet are at any time. Speeds are
expressed in kilobits (Kbps) thousands of bits per second, or megabits
(Mbps) millions of bits per second.
Most providers offer different speeds upload and download. Upload
speeds tell you how fast you can transfer data from your computer to a
computer somewhere else on the Internet for example, how fast you can
upload photographs onto a website. Download speeds tell you how fast you
can download something from the Internet to your computer.
Most of them will want to tell you about the speeds they offer. Youre
going to want to mostly be concerned with the download speed unless youre
planning on doing a great deal of Youtube video uploading. Another thing
worth noting is whether this speed is offered over cable or over DSL/fiber,
because cable speeds tend to vary a lot depending on the time of day.
Customer Service
This is very hard to judge because when youre out there looking at
customer service reviews, youre generally only hearing the negative stories
and not the positive ones. I tend to value survey-based feedback on
customer service when comparing companies, like Consumer Reports and JD
Power provide.
Service is a key factor when choosing an ISP, because what is a fast
connection worth if it does not work and you cannot get quick help from the
ISPs service desk? Our advice is to use consumer reviews sites when
finding a good ISP. You should not choose an ISP that has terrible reviews.
As a guy here at the office often says "No matter if it's a toaster, blow
dryer, or router. If you have to plug it in to make it work you're going to have
an issue sometime." This should be number one on the list of things to

consider. What happens when you have a problem? What is the process to
resolve an issue? Where do I call to talk to someone? Is my support
technician local or coming from somewhere else? If your ISP isn't there when
you need them, then no matter what you pay it's too much!
Even the best connections experience problems, and chances are you
will have a question or problem you need to address, which is why it is vital
to have a professionally trained and dedicated staff capable of solving any
problem at any time.
Ensure that the ISP you choose has a good customer help line and
support system. The last situation you want to find yourself in is having a
deadline and not being able to access the required information simply
because the internet is down, and youre wasting valuable time trying to get
through on the phone or waiting for an agent to come around. Dedication
and consistency are the key factors when searching for the right ISP for your
business.
If a failure occurs (the most common issue I see is failed modems due
to lightning strikes, but I've also repeatedly seen wiring go bad in the ISPsupported network interface device, or NID), how quickly does the ISP
commit to resolving the outage? In many cases, ISPs think nothing of mailing
a replacement modem or rolling a truck a full business day later. That could
mean the organization is dead in the water, unable to process credit cards,
send or receive e-mail, access the Internet, or process orders for days. Be
sure you know the ISP's field response policies, and be sure they match your
organization's requirements, before signing a contract.
Package
Just like other vendors, ISPs vary in the options their packages include.
For example, some ISPs offer static IP addresses, while others use only DHCPassigned ones.
Most ISPs offer lots more than just an active internet connection.
Depending on your business needs, it is necessary that you choose according

to both the service provider and the internet package. For instance, if what
you need is just an internet connection to send emails and carry out some
basic online research, you should not waste your resources on a package
that offers ultrahighspeed internet connection. On the other hand, if what
you need is superhighspeed connection for streaming HD movies or extra
services like broadband internet and phone bundle, then you should invest
more into a package that offers the service you require.
Security
Ask the provider if anti-virus, anti-spam, and anti-spyware software are
included with your service, and the cost. If the provider does not offer
protective software, or if the costs are more than you are willing to pay,
download it from the websites of software companies or buy it from retail
stores.
Over the last few years, data breaches perpetrated by cyber-criminals
have become a huge problem with victims ranging from individuals to large
companies like Target. For this reason, the best Internet provider for gaming
should offer top notch Internet security. This includes firewalls, anti-virus
software, spam filters, data backup, and persistent intrusion detection
systems. These security systems/tools should be from industry leaders who
continuously release upgrades to keep up with the fast changing nature of
hacking threats.
Quality
It is always hard to determine if the quality of the internet will be great
with the provider, you have in mind. When measuring quality we would be
referring to the ability of the ISP to give you a constant speed level that
corresponds to what they have promised and which has very little downtime.
Try googling your ISP with the word downtime added to the spring and you
will probably find some interesting results.
IT professionals know which modems fail and how often. They also
know which modems with built-in firewalls should really be set to bridge
mode and mated to better business-class routers. Not wanting to disparage
any manufacturers, I'll just say that when my office has an opportunity to
work with Westell or Motorola modems, we feel better. ISPs often don't

provide a choice of modem; they just deploy the model they support. When
comparing two ISPs' bids, consider the quality of each firm's equipment. The
less time an IT pro must spend on site administering, reconfiguring, or
restarting network equipment, the better.
Some ISPs enable customers to supply their own modems. Take
advantage of these opportunities, as supplying your own network equipment
not only allows you to select the quality you want but potentially lowers
costs, too. Occasionally, ISPs lease modems to customers. I believe it makes
more sense to purchase network equipment, where possible, to achieve
lower total costs of ownership.
Reliability
Whether youre paying for a high-speed connection or just using dialup, you should check the ISPs track record for such things as uptime and
overall throughput.
The best wireless Internet provider should be reliable. This means
clients should have Internet connection whenever they need it, access to
technical personnel 24/7 (via email, web chat, fax, and phone), and can
upgrade or change their data packages easily. Reliability also means an ISP
should have a structured way of handling/resolving complaints filed by
unsatisfied clients. An easy way of finding out if an ISP is reliable is by
checking its BBB rating. Alternatively, use search engines queries to learn
more about ISPs in your state.
Much is made about performance these days, mostly in the form of
speed. While speed is critical to certain applications, the difference between
3Mbps & 6Mbps isn't noticeable to probably 99% of us. Talk to your account
representative about redundancy, ask about recent significant outages.
PC and MAC Compatibility
It goes without saying that everything is PC compatible, but not all
services are compatible with the Mac OS. If you know how to configure your
remote access (dialer), you can make any of these services work, but few
offer the accelerated service for Macs. If you are a Mac user, look for a
service that gives good instructions on how to set-up your Mac for using their
service.

The Local Factor

Every community is different. The cables in the ground are different.
The local offerings are different. The distance from customer support and
from the local office are different. The people working there are different. The
specific local companies are different, too, and not included in the surveys
mentioned above.
I consider asking around for suggestions and recommendations in your
community to be essential. Ask all of your friends and neighbors what they
use for internet service, whether they like it, and whether theyve had any
problems with it. Ideally, you want to hear stories about a variety of
providers and those stories will generally tell you what you need to know.
Cost
Were all slaves to our own bottom line and budget. High Availability
service comes with a high price tag and depending on the types of
connections and service area the price can be significant. As an example, I
just worked with a client that was quoted one High Availability fiber
connection for $1000 per month for 20MB of service. Conversely, two diverse
broadband connections (one cable at 100MB and one Broadband Fiber at
50MB) came in at only $400 per month more speed, better availability for
less cost. The service costs from your ISP will vary widely depending upon a
number of factors, which is one reason you should always engage a
professional to assist you in choosing the connection that is best for your
business.
An Internet Service Provider can charge you in different ways for the
time you spend on the Internet. Many service providers offer a certain
number of hours per month for a fixed fee.
It matters, it certainly shouldn't be number one in the discussion but it
needs to come up. If you are a business owner and security and reliability are
paramount to the success of your business then paying a premium could be
more of a necessity than the business that only occasionally needs to browse
the web.
One might be inclined to choose the cheapest solution available.
However, this is a very common mistake, as you will often get an internet

connection that is much better than the cheapest one by simply paying a few
more dollars per month. Therefore, do not always choose the cheapest
provider, but consider other factors as well as the ones described below.
Price is the last factor that should be considered when selecting an ISP.
Uptime, capacity, service accessibility, and field response are much more
critical, especially considering the importance of Internet circuits to
businesses today. But price matters, too. When all else is equal from
uptime to performance, support, and equipment price becomes the
differentiating factor. When factoring price, however, be sure to compare
apples to apples. Some ISPs require customers to purchase a modem or
CSU/DSU, while others lease this equipment. And some ISPs require multiyear contracts. Such lease and long-term arrangements may end up costing
more in the long run, so compare costs carefully.
You probably want to pay some attention to price as well. Just like other
business sectors, ISPs vary in price as to the service they provide. Though
you may want to consider price, you might want to avoid making it the prime
factor in your decision. Just ensure the internet connects at your desired
speed and loads webpage quickly and efficiently.
This is a big factor to consider when choosing the best high speed
Internet provider. In general, ISPs offer their clients metered or flat rates. If
you go for a metered rate, you will pay a certain amount of money to access
the Internet for a given number of hours every month. Consumers who
exceed this monthly cap pay per hour or daily rate. On the other hand, a flat
rate gives one unlimited Internet access usually for a given amount of
money. It is up to you to choose a rate that suits your Internet data
consumption needs. For instance, a metered rate is ideal for someone who
only checks email a few times every day. It is advisable to find out if a rate
comes with hidden charges before signing up.
Some companies require you to rent a modem or a router from them,
while other providers will just give you this equipment. This is often a hidden
cost that they dont want to tell you up front in their price, so ask them
before you sign anything. Consider the equipment each service provider

offers. Some services offer a basic modem, while others give gateways
including a router with firewall protection, Ethernet ports, or even a builtin
WiFi router. Cost of installation or activation is another variable. Some ISPs
provide free installation and activation, while others charge a waiving fee for
the service depending on your contract.