Service

Telephone (dial-up) Modem

Cost per month

$0$45

Maximum speed
56 Kbps

Pluses
Inexpensive, available everywhere

Minuses
Slow; connection supports only a single user

ISDN

$40$110(+ $350 $700 installation cost)

64128 Kbps (1.5Mbps with special wiring)

Faster than dial-up; uses conventional phone lines

More expensive than dial-up; no longer extensively supported by telephone companies for individuals; used mostly by small businesses.

DSL

$25$35, depending on speed

768 kbps7 Mbps

Fast download, always on, higher security; uploads faster than cable; users can talk and transmit data at the same time

Needs to be close to phone company switching station; limited choice of service providers; supports only a single user

T1 line

$350$1,500 (+ $1,000 installation cost)

1.5 Mbps (T5 = 45Mbps)

Can support many users: 24 separate circuits of 64 Kbps each; reliable highspeed downloading and uploading; users can talk and transmit data at the same time

Expensive, best for businesses

Cable Modem

$40$100 (+ $5 monthly for leased cable modem)

Up to 30 Mbps (4 Mbps common)

Fast, always on, most popular broadband type of connection; can support many users; downloads faster than DSL; users can talk on phone and transmit cable data at the same time

Slower service during hightraffic times, vulnerability to outside intrusion, limited choice of service providers; not always available to businesses

Satellite

Up to $120 (+ about $300 installation)

512 Kbps5 Mbps

Wireless, fast, reliable, always on; goes where DSL and cable cant; users can talk on phone and transmit satellite data at the same time

High setup and monthly costs; users must have unobstructed view of the southern sky; because the satellite signals must travel so far (22,000 miles into space and then back again), latency (signal delay) is a problem for users who need realtime interactivity, such as when playing games; bad weather can cause service drop-outs

Wi-Fi

Nothing for users

accessing

54140 Mbps

hotspots supplied by others;about $300 faccess-point hardware andup to $25 permonth for subscription to aWi-Fi access service 3G $250 and up About 3 Mbps (about 15 seconds to download a 3-minute MP3 song)

Uses a beefed-up version of the current cellphone network; ultimately should be available everywhere

Range of access is usually only

50300 feet (to access

point)

Functions like Wi-Fi but without the need for hot spots; uses existing cellphone network

Low battery power on some models; phones are relatively large