You’ve probably heard the terms “broadband” and “ISP” thrown around at some point or another.  Broadband is simply high speed internet service and ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. There are many different types of broadband options available, depending on your location.  The bigger the city, the more options you will have. We’ve outlined the differences  between the major types of ISPs below.  

Cable: Cable is the most used type of broadband service in the United States as it is more widely available and sometimes slightly cheaper than other options. It is provided by your local cable company over the same coaxial cable used for cable television.  All you need is coaxial cabling, a cable modem and a network card in your computer. Cable modems share the bandwidth among  customers, therefore the more users that are online in your geographic area, the slower your connection will be. Typical cable speeds are in the 500Kbps to 1Mbps range, but go up to 2Mbps and sometimes even up to 27Gbps (that’s gigabits per second - wow!). That makes cable two to five times faster than basic DSL.  The cost for home use is around $35 to $45 per month and for business use is around $100 per month. 

DSL:  There are about half as many DSL users in the country as cable users.  DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is provided by phone companies and uses regular copper phone wires to deliver high speed internet service.  You will need a phone line, a DSL modem, and an network card in your computer.  Prices vary tremendously, due to a range of speeds from a slowpoke 256Kbps to a blazing fast 1.5Mbps.  The speed will vary from the actual plan numbers because it’s dependent upon your proximity to the provider's central office. The cost for home use is around $40 to $50 per month and for the cost for business can run anywhere from $60 - $200 per month.

Fixed Wireless:  Wireless is the new kid on the block and possibly more readily available than DSL in some areas.  While the big companies offer this service in large metro areas, there are a lot of smaller ISPs in more rural areas that offer the service as well. Fixed wireless uses cellular, radio and microwave technologies.  Transmission towers connected directly to the internet transmit data to and from your PC.  You’ll need an antennae attached to your building and a clear line of sight from your antenna to the transmitter tower. One disadvantage of wireless is the possibility of interruption of service due to weather, or if the clear line of site is blocked. Typical speeds are in the 500Kbps to 1Mbps range, with shorts bursts up to 5Mbps. The cost for wireless is competitive with cable pricing.

T1:  T1 lines are for larger businesses who rely heavily on the net and need guaranteed bandwidth, as opposed to “best effort” services like cable and DSL, where there’s no guarantee they’ll actually work when you need them.  A T1 is a fiber optic line into your office that carries digitized voice channels that can be used for data as well. A full T1 has 24 channels, but can be fractioned to give you as many channels as you need.  A T1 line might cost between $100 and $1,500 per month depending on how many channels you get and the provider.

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Whitney Anderson is the Director of Marketing and Web Design for Automated Horizons, a firm specializing in information technology, legal technology, web design and marketing.
Copyright © 2005 by Automated Horizons, Inc. All rights reserved under U.S. and international law.
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