Choices for Internet Access

Thanks to the sprawling competitive internet access industry, consumers are blessed with an ever proliferating number of options to connect with the web. Whereas onetime internet access was limited to ?plain old? dial-up at a rate of about 56Kbps, today's surfers can choose from DSL, cable, satellite, fixed wireless, and other fat pipe options. Corporations with the appropriate cash can invest in pipelines that pump in 20-plus megabytes per second or more, it's even possible to get lines with several gigabytes per second access.

Of course, in some ways, you get what you pay for. If you don't have lots of money to invest in internet access technologies, you can take a lower tier DSL or cable plan and get enough speed and stability to link up to the net at speeds ranging from 150Kbps to 2Mbps, generally enough to upload web pages, check email, download big files, and even enjoy some entertainment options.

If you have more money or if you are outside the service range of affordable DSL or cable, you can check out satellite or wireless internet access possibilities. Alternatively, you don't have to use your home/business internet access connection to do all your work. If you live far away from an efficient service area, you can create hard downloads of information, send those via post or UPS to a hosting service, and have that third party upload your data via ultra thick pipelines for you.

When you factor in the costs of shipping your data via disc and uploading it versus stetting up an elaborate satellite internet access situation, it may be worth it to go this more ?contorted? route.

Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all ?best internet access? option out there. Your decision should be based on cost concerns, features you want out of your web connectivity experience, your ability to bundle internet access costs with other multimedia costs (e.g. you may be able to find a good deal for DSL internet access combined with cable and/or wireless service), and long-term interests.

In other words, if you foresee that you may keep your business in a particular geographical area for five-plus years, it may behoove you to invest in advanced wireless and/or satellite receivers, if you're in transition, it may behoove you to go for something simple and easy, like cable internet access service.