What Does ISP Mean
ISP is an acronym that can refer to different issues. In general, these three letters refer to the expression of the English language "Internet service provider" , or " Internet service provider " in our language.
An ISP , in this sense, is a company that offers an Internet connection . This means that the clients of an ISP can connect to the Web thanks to the infrastructure provided by the company ( cable modem , ADSL or other).
When the Internet became a network open to users in general, ISPs emerged to market this connection service. In the beginning, connections were made through the telephone line ( dial-up ) and Internet users, in general, had to pay according to the time they stayed online.
Thanks to the advancement of technology , other systems were emerging that increased connection speed and modified access plans. Today ISPs offer broadband connectivity.
Movistar , Fibertel , Claro , DirecTV , AT&T and Comcast are some of the best known ISPs in different countries . Several ISPs not only sell the Internet connection, but also provide other services (cell or mobile phone, cable TV, etc.).
In Chile , on the other hand, ISP is the Institute of Public Health . It is an entity that depends on the Ministry of Health and whose function is linked to improving public health conditions . The origins of the ISP date back to 1892 , when the Institute of Hygiene was created .
It is known by the name of hosting ISP to the set of services that administer Internet servers to give the organizations or individuals that hire them the possibility of uploading content to the network. There is a wide variety of services of this type, which differ in their benefits and, of course, in their price.
This class of ISP can offer its clients a hosting service on servers with different characteristics, according to their needs, so that they can store their sites and programs there. In general, these people, in turn, have their own clients, who access the content hosted on the servers, either directly and actively as well as indirectly and passively, depending on whether they are Internet sites, mobile applications, etc. .
It goes without saying that the resources required to maintain a service of these characteristics are considerable, both at a material level (physical space, equipment, cabling, refrigeration) and at a human level (taking care of the network, analysis to detect errors, equipment update). This entails the need for an economic investment that affects the final price of the service.
For businesses it is not always easy to choose a suitable ISP, because the advertising they do not provide specific data to be taken into account. This applies to both large and small companies, although the latter have the fewest financial resources, and for this reason they should be especially well informed before making the decision.
Among the points to carefully evaluate before hiring an ISP are the types of connection they offer, the speed of the bandwidth , the price of the equipment and the registration , as well as the fine print regarding the conditions of use and permanence. This last aspect is the most decisive in cases in which the client decides to change providers shortly after starting the contract.
Another use of ISP is related to "In-system programming" or "programming in the system" , a characteristic of certain electronic circuits and logic devices that can be programmed when they are already installed, without the need for programming prior to installation.