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High Speed Internet Access Overview

Deciding between the various types of high speed Internet access that are currently available depends primarily on which technology is available in your area. The main three types of high speed Internet access include cable, DSL and satellite.

A Quick Comparison of DSL, Cable & Satellite Internet Access

This comparison chart on the main types of high speed Internet access should give you a fair idea of the speed and costs involved:

Compare >> DSL Internet Cable Internet Satellite Internet
Download Speed 768 Kbps to 6 Mbps 4 Mbps to 15 Mbps 512 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps
Upload Speed 128 Kbps to 768 Kbps 384 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps 128 Kbps to 256 Kbps
Home Networking Available Available Available
"Always On" Yes Yes Yes
Internet Access Existing Phone Line Existing TV Cable Satellite Dish
Service Area Limited Limited Continental U.S.
Avg. Setup Fees None to $100.00 None to $150.00 $300.00 to $600.00
Avg. Monthly Price $15 to $45 $40 to $80 $50 to $120
 

The Main Types Of High Speed Internet Access

To get Internet access through most DSL Service Providers, you're local phone lines will have to be fitted with special copper wires in order to receive DSL Internet signals. In older cities and most rural areas, such wires are currently not in widespread use, and so DSL service is limited to only those areas which already are equipped with copper phone wires.

Your choice of Cable Internet Providers is limited to only those providers which have made deals through your local cable television service. For example, if Comcast is your current cable provider for TV reception, then you will most likely have to choose them for cable Internet service, as well. This limits your choice of providers for this particular form of Internet access.

While DSL and Cable are both faster, and much cheaper, than Satellite Internet Service, their range of availability can be quite limited. However, if you have a clear view of the southern sky from your home anywhere in the continental United States, then you can access the Internet via Satellite. While readily available, Satellite access is at least twice as expensive as DSL / Cable.

For those who travel a lot, high speed Wireless Internet Access is now available for your laptop or Pocket PC. The range of this new wireless service will be limited to around 1,000 feet from a local wireless access node, which are typically found in areas like hotels, airports, cafes, and the like. So, at the current time, wireless Internet is not "everywhere", but it will be available in the places where you need it most while traveling in the U.S.

And finally, for those consumers who want faster speeds, but who do not want the additional high costs that come with it, there is now Dialup Internet Access that is up to 5 times faster than your normal dialup service. However, no ISP can exceed the transmission limits imposed by the FCC on communications through phone lines. So while such dialup services are faster for browsing pages on the Internet, they cannot move large files or downloads any faster than normal.

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