Internet service provider `` Internet company '' redirects here . For Internet based companies , see Dot-com company . `` ISP '' redirects here . For other uses , see ISP ( disambiguation ) . An Internet service provider ( abbr . ISP , also called Internet access provider or IAP ) is a business or organization that sells to consumers access to the Internet and related services . In the past , most ISPs were run by the phone company . Now , ISPs can be started by just about any individual or group with sufficient money and expertise . In addition to Internet access via various technologies such as dial-up and DSL , they may provide a combination of services including Internet transit , domain name registration and hosting , web hosting , and colocation . ISP connection options ISPs employ a range of technologies to enable customers to connect to their network . For `` home users '' , the most popular options include dial-up , DSL ( typically ADSL ) , Broadband wireless access , Cable modem , and ISDN ( typically BRI ) . For customers who have more demanding requirements , such as medium-to-large businesses , or other ISPs , DSL ( often SHDSL ) , Ethernet , Metro Ethernet , Gigabit Ethernet , Frame Relay , ISDN ( BRI or PRI ) , ATM , satellite internet access and SONET are more likely . With the increasing popularity of downloading music and online video and the general demand for faster page loads , higher bandwidth connections are becoming more popular . How ISPs connect to the Internet Just as their customers pay them for Internet access , ISPs themselves pay upstream ISPs for Internet access . In the simplest case , a single connection is established to an upstream ISP using one of the technologies described earlier in this article , and the ISP uses this connection to send or receive any data to or from parts of the Internet beyond its own network ; in turn , the upstream ISP uses its own upstream connections , or connections to its other customers to allow the data to travel from source to destination . In reality , the situation is often more complicated . For example , ISPs with more than one Point of Presence ( PoP ) may have separate connections to an upstream ISP at multiple PoPs , or they may be customers of multiple upstream ISPs and have connections to each one at one or more of their PoPs . ISPs may engage in peering , where multiple ISPs interconnect with one another at a `` peering point '' or `` Internet exchange '' ( IX ) , allowing the routing of data between their networks , without charging one another for that data - data that would otherwise have passed through their upstream ISPs , incurring charges from the upstream ISP. ISPs who require no upstream , and have only customers and/or peers , are called Tier 1 ISPs , indicating their status as ISPs at the top of the Internet hierarchy . Routers , switches , Internet routing protocols , and the expertise of network administrators all have a role to play in ensuring that data follows the best available route and that ISPs can `` see '' one another on the Internet . Virtual ISP A Virtual ISP ( vISP ) purchases services from another ISP ( sometimes called a wholesale ISP or similar within this context ) that allow the vISP 's customers to access the Internet via one or more Points of Prescence ( PoPs ) that are owned and operated by the wholesale ISP. There are various models for the delivery of this type of service , for example , the wholesale ISP could provide network access to end users via its dial-up modem PoPs or DSLAMs installed in telephone exchanges , and route , switch , and/or tunnel the end user traffic to the vISP 's network , whereupon they may route the traffic toward its destination . In another model , the wholesale ISP does not route any end user traffic , and needs only provide AAA ( Authentication , Authorization and Accounting ) functions , as well as any `` value-add '' services like email or web hosting . Any given ISP may use their own PoPs to deliver one service , and use a vISP model to deliver another service , or , use a combination to deliver a service in different areas . The service provided by a wholesale ISP in a vISP model is distinct from that of an upstream ISP , even though in some cases , they may both be one and the same company . The former provides connectivity from the end user 's premises to the Internet or to the end user 's ISP , the latter provides connectivity from the end user 's ISP to all or parts of the rest of the Internet . A vISP can also refer to a completely automated white label service offered to anyone at no cost or for a minimal set-up fee . The actual ISP providing the service generates revenue from the calls and may also share a percentage of that revenue with the owner of the vISP. All technical aspects are dealt with leaving the owner of vISP with the task of promoting the service . This sort of service is however declining due to the popularity of unmetered internet access . Related services Broadband access DSL Fixed wireless access Cable Triple play Internet hosting service Web hosting service E-mail hosting service DNS hosting service Dynamic DNS See also Network access point Internet backbone Internet Payment Service Provider ( IPSP ) Categories : Internet service providers In other languages : Bahasa Indonesia | Bosanski | Dansk | Deutsch | Español | Esperanto | Français | Galego | Italiano | עברית | Limburgs | Nederlands | 日本語 | Norsk ( bokmål ) | Norsk ( nynorsk ) | Polski | Português | Română | Русский | Simple English | Српски / Srpski | Suomi | Svenska | Türkçe | 中文 `` Internet company '' redirects here . For Internet based companies , see Dot-com company . ISP 