Q. What is Internet Service Providers?

Nobody truly owns the Internet however it is maintained by a group of volunteers interested in supporting this mode of information interchange. Central to this control is Internet service provider (ISP) that is a significant component in Internet system. Every ISP is a network of routers and communication links. Different ISPs provide a range of different types of network access to end systems, comprising 56 Kbps dial-up modem access, residential broadband access like cable modem or DSL, wireless access and high-speed LAN access. ISPs also provide Internet access to content providers, connecting Web sites directly to Internet. To allow communication among Internet users and to allow users to access worldwide Internet content, these lower-tier ISPs are interconnected by national as well as international upper-tier ISPs, like Sprint. An upper-tier ISP comprises high speed routers interconnected with high-speed fiber-optic links. Every ISP network, whether lower-tier or upper-tier, is managed independently, runs the IP protocol (see below) and conforms to certain naming and address conventions.