We explain what an ISP is and what connection technologies it can use. Some examples and how to detect which is your ISP.
What is the ISP?
The ISP (acronym in English for Internet Service Provider), in computing, is the Internet Service Provider, that is, to the business that sells the Internet connection to users.
Thus, the same ISP provides its set of customers access to Web Through different means or technologies (DSL or “broadband”, Dial-up, cable modem, GSM, etc.), and in the same country or region there may be different ISPs, which together constitute a market.
In its beginnings, the Internet it was one technology limited to university, government and scientific settings, requiring specialized identification and access to use it. But this limited its dimensions, and excluded the general public, increasingly interested in the infinite possibilities of the Web, so at the beginning of the 90s a group of private companies decided to offer access points to the Internet. net, thus becoming the first commercial ISPs.
Competition among ISPs eventually led to an ever-widening user market and new and faster connection technologies, which allowed the great informational explosion of the Internet, taking it practically everywhere: initially cyber-cafes and phone booths, then to their own homes users and finally, as we can see today, to the cell phones that they own.
ISP Technologies
The main technologies used by ISPs to provide their users with an Internet connection are:
- Dial-up (dial connection).Connection through the telephone network.
- ADSL (broadband). Connection through an asymmetric digital subscriber line (hence the acronym).
- CATV. Connection via TV by subscription (cable).
- Mobile phone network. For “smart” cell phones, either UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) or HSDPA (3G technology).
- Wireless network (Wifi). Connection via waves radio for computers and cell phones.
ISP Examples
Some examples of ISPs in different countries are:
- Spain. Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, Yoigo, R (telecommunications), Euskaltel, Telecable, Adamo Telecom.
- Argentina. Telecentre, Fibertel, Speedy, Gigared, Arnet, Cotelcam, Skymax, Sion.
- U.S. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Cox Communications, Google Fiber, Verizon.
- Venezuela. Cantv, Movistar, Digitel.
- Dominican Republic. Sure, Orange, Tricom, Viva.
- Peru. Americatel, Claro, Entel, Telmex, ColinaNet, MecaCableNet, Inventa Telecomunicaciones.
- Ecuador. Telconet, Grupo TV Cable, Puntonet, Clicknet, Turbonet, SilviaNET, MaxFib.
- Mexico. Gemtel, Kiwi Networks, Totalplay Telecomunicaciones, Axtel, Megacable, EnlaceTPE.
How do I know my ISP?
In principle, to find out our ISP it would be enough to check the name of the company you pay for Internet service, often the same company that provides us with telephony and / or cable television. In case we do not know it, it is possible to access said information through some websites free data that reveal information about internet protocols that we use.
Some of them are Spyber.com or Ipcheck.org, and just enter your address Url in a window of our browser and wait for the complete information of our connection and computer to be displayed, such as IP address, server, remote port, and ISP. The latter can be called through those acronyms or simply as "Internet Service Provider".