Round Table
Services - Internet Service Provider
The Internet Service
Provider (ISP) is the company which supplies you with connectivity to
the Internet. ISPs generally charge for their services in one of three
ways:
-
"Free call" which has a monthly
charge
-
"Subscriber" which is charged at
local call rate plus a monthly charge
-
"Free" which is charged at local
call rate
Deciding which of the many offerings is the one for
you is something of a balancing act. Factors which will affect your
decision will include your monthly hours and the time of day which you
are online. Local call rates are cheaper in off peak hours. Online
time is going to be a difficult to predict until you get your internet
business going.
When you sign up with an ISP you usually get a few
megabytes of web space and some email addresses as part of the deal.
Sometimes support is also thrown in but may be chargeable via the
telephone calls you make to the ISP's help desk.
Free or really low cost ISPs may provide a
service which is slow, unreliable, has limited services or displays
banner ads. Do some research and find reviews to assist your decision
making.
