Terminologies Used

We hold a lot of information about Internet Service Providers, some of which may be new to some users. Therefore, if you do not understand any of the details you see for an ISP, refer to this page (you will find links to this page on every page at WhichISP, on the left hand side navigation bar).

Term	Description
V90	A modem specification which uses the assumption that the computer at one end of a dial up connection (the ISP) uses a 'pure digital' phone system, and therefore cuts out the conversion of digital to analog at that end, speeding up the user's download rate to a maximum of 56kbps.
64k ISDN	'Integrated Services Digital Network', An internet connection which works roughly the same way as dialup internet access, but requires special telephone lines (and is therefore expensive to install). 64k ISDN means you can download information at a maximum of 64kbps.
128k ISDN	As above, but for 128kbps
512k	A term used for a broadband connection meaning a download bandwidth of 512 kbps. If you have a 512k broadband connection, the absolute maximum download speed you could achieve is 512 kbps
1Mb	As above, but for 1mbps
2Mb	As above, but for 2mbps
ADSL	'Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line', a type of high speed internet connection. See 'About broadband ISPs' for more info
Broadband ISP	An ISP that can provide high-speed connections to businesses or home users. See 'About broadband ISPs' for more information.
Connection Ratio	Broadband ISPs will usually allocate the specified bandwidth (e.g. 512k) to more than one user. The connection ratio states how many other users you will be sharing the bandwidth with. For example, a connection ratio of 50:1 means you will share the connection with 50 other users.
Free ISP	And ISP that does not charge a subscription fee. See 'About Dialup ISPs' for more information.
FRIACO	'Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination' - A type of wholesale internet access programme which cuts ISP's costs by more that 60%. FRIACO ISPs are usually more financially stable.
ISP	Internet Service Provider. See 'About ISPs' for more information.
kbps	Kilobytes per second.
MyISP	A feature on WhichISP.com which allows you to tell the scripts on the site which ISP you are currently using. You will then get extra information about each ISP you look at in comparison to your current ISP. See 'About MyISP' for more information.
Newsgroup	A type of e- mail based discussion / help forum. You can view newsgroups with certain e- mail clients (such as Microsoft Outlook Express) or you can look on a site such as Download.com for an alternative viewer.
Subscription ISP	An ISP that charges a monthly subscription fee for using their dialup service. See 'About Dialup ISPs' for more information.
Telephone support cost	Most ISPs will provide you with a telephone number to call if you need help. Often, they will charge a premium rate for this (e.g. 50p per minute). If you are not confident enough about your knowledge of the internet and any problems you may encounter, the cost of support should be taken into account.
Unmetered ISP	An ISP that charges a monthly fee for unlimited internet access. The number you call to use the internet will be a freephone (0800) number. See 'About Dialup ISPs' for more information.
URL	Uniform Resource Locator: A website / page address. e.g. the URL for this page is http://www.whichisp.com/help/term.shtml
Webspace	Some ISPs will provide you with some space on their webservers for you to mount your own webpages. It is worth noting, however, that you may not get a good domain name (e.g. the URL of your site would be something like http://members.myispname.co.uk/~yourname/ instead of something easy like http://www.myname.com/), your ISP may put their own adverts on your pages, and you may not be provided with advanced facilities such as a cgi- bin or a database.