What is Dial Up Internet Connection

The dial up internet connection is mostly used in remote areas, where broadband connectivity is weak. Broadband connections have still not penetrated rural areas, due to the low demand. Travelers too use dial up internet connections, since telephone lines are the only requirement to set up the internet connection. Some ISPs provide free dial up access to the Internet, which makes it economical as compared to broadband connections.

What is Dial Up Connection

The internet connection that is established by using telephone lines as a medium is known as a dial-up connection. A modem is used to connect the computer to the Internet Service Provider (ISP). A computer is used to control the functioning of the modem. Once the connection is established, an activity called 'handshaking' takes place between the modem and the remote server. In the process of handshaking, information is exchanged between these components. The data between the computer and the hosts that are present on the internet is transferred in the form of 'internet protocol packets' after the connection is established.

The dial up internet connection is also known as 'transient connection'. This is because, the connection can be terminated by either the ISP or the user. The ISPs keeps tabs on the internet connection and tries to prevent activities such as hogging of the internet access. The access to the Internet is disconnected in such cases.

According to a project named, 'Pew Internet and American Life Project' carried out by the Pew Research Center, USA in 2008, around 10% Americans use dial up connections for accessing the Internet.

Dial Up Speed

The modems that are used nowadays have speeds upto 56 kbits/s. However, it is not possible to access internet content such as 'streaming media', by means of a dial up connection. Services like video conferencing and online gaming, don't work properly with a dial up internet connection. It happens due to 'latency', a property which delays the transfer of data over the connection.

With the advent of broadband internet services, the usage of dial up services have reduced to a great extent. The speed of around 2 mb/s, offered by broadband services, is the main reason behind the downfall of the dial up service. However, many people use the Internet only for the purpose of web browsing and accessing emails. This doesn't require high bandwidths or speed. Thus, the dial up service has maintained its viability. Few ISPs have even lowered the rates to as low as USD5 per month.

After the recession in the year 2009, the demand for dial up services have risen dramatically. This is because the dial up service has become cheaper and costs only around USD7-8 per month.

Many rural areas don't have the demand and infrastructure for setting up broadband connections. Some of the high-end services provided by the Internet, are not required by customers. Dial up connections, in such cases, serve the purpose of catering to the needs of customers with a tight budget. Thus, it would be appropriate to say that dial up internet connections will thrive in the market for a long time to come.