What is Broadband Internet Service

Broadband Internet service is a general term used to describe any high speed Internet access service. The two main types of technologies that are commonly used in residential homes are DSL Service and Cable. There are many reasons why a high speed service is desirable over a dial up modem service with much higher speed being one of the main ones. Read on for our list of the main benefits.

Speed: Speed is typically 100 times FASTER than a dial-up modem connections and is increasing all the time. Speed is an important factor because the faster your speed the faster you can view websites, download MP3 music files, download photographs from family and friends, stream movies and download Microsoft updates, to name but a few. These types of applications can take seconds rather than minutes/hours with a broadband connection when compared with a dial up connection.
Always-on: Your connection is "always-on". This means that when your computer is powered on you have instant Internet access 24 hours a day and seven days a week. No more trying different dial up numbers, or connecting with user names and passwords, or those annoying busy tones.
Open Telephone Line: No more missed calls or having to log off your dial-up connection to make an important phone call. With Broadband service you can continue to surf the Internet while still being able to make or take those important phone calls. Just to clarify here, even though DSL service technology uses your phone line it does not affect your normal phone line usage. You can still talk to people on your home phone while you are surfing the web.
Two (2) or More Computers at Home?: You can connect several computers to your Internet connection. This can be very useful when you have a spouse or kids who have a separate PC from yours and you all want to use the Internet at the same time. This can also be very useful for small businesses that typically require more than one PC for the employees/owners to use at the same time.
Applications: The higher speeds open up a whole new world of digital applications whether you use your computer for residential or business uses. For residential users this can include applications such as gaming online with others on the other side of the world, or sending large files like photographs of your new born to family and friends via email. These types of applications would be painfully slow or just unusable with the old dial-up solution. For business users this can include such applications as videoconferencing and telecommuting.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Phone Service: Broadband Internet service is the only requirement for VoIP phone service, which is taking the telephony world by storm. VoIP can save the typical home phone user an average of $500/year on their home phone bill and can be used to replace a traditional phone line or just as a secondary line so you can enjoy the abundance of features. VoIP technology uses a broadband connection to 'carry' your voice call, different to your normal telephone service that uses your dedicated phone line. For more information take a look at our VoIP section or use the table below to compare top providers.

Highlights	Startup	Reviews
Save 53%+ on Your Phone Bill Over 40 Included Features Easy Setup & Free Adapter to Use No Contract or Cancellation Fee	30-day Money Back	4.8 Read Reviews
Special: Unlimited Calling for $6.21/Mo Keep Your Number or Get New One 45+ Features Included Money Back Guarantee	30-day Money Back	4.5 Read Reviews
Special: $75 per year! Free hardware & activation Money back guarantee 30+ features	15-day Money Back	4.2 Read Reviews

What is Broadband Internet Service

Related Articles for Further Reading: