Is high-speed Internet really all that it’s “hyped” to be and is it worth the extra cost? If you’re considering a high-speed Internet service provider (ISP), this article will give you some good comparison points to help you decide if it is the best option for you.

A good metaphor in terms of accessing the Internet is the difference in taking a trip across the country by carriage or by auto. You’ll still ultimately reach your destination, you’ll see some sites along the way, but via carriage it will take you quite a bit more time, and the ride might not nearly be as comfortable. The downside to driving via auto is the cost of fuel and maintenance of the vehicle. The Internet is just a virtual world to travel, and how you travel it is up to you. For those who have high-speed access, the mantra is often “never dialing up again.” For more recreational users of the Internet, where speed is not of the essence because there is no monetizing, or customer response issues involved, or large downloading of data, a slower connection works just fine.

In March 2004, comScore Networks released its Fourth Quarter ISP Market Share Report which showed that broadband accounted for more than fifty percent Internet connections. “In the past several months, we’ve seen the U.S. online population reach 150 million people and household broadband penetration cross the 33% threshold,” said Russ Fradin, executive vice president of comScore Networks. “Now we’ve recorded another milestone, with broadband accounting for more than half of major U.S. market’s Internet connections.”

High-speed Internet access is just what the term denotes: it gives users the ability to access the Internet more quickly than a traditional dial-up speed. If you’re looking at a high speed ISP, your first and foremost concern will be can they deliver the speed that they’re promising? Oftentimes the speed a company claims it can offer if you use its high speed services is not the true usage speed. One handy tool to test your current provider’s access speed can be found at Bandwidth Speed Test.

With this tool you can run a speed test on your ISP and measure what connection speed you actually have as opposed to what the providers promise. High speed ISPs offer access at usually ten times the rate of dial-up connection. When choosing a high-speed ISP users also need to know what the provider offers as far as customer service, firewalls, filtering and does the company block adware and spyware efficiently.

Is high speed worth the extra cost? It depends on need. What kind of user are you and what are your needs in relation to the Internet? With the boon of eBay and other auction item-driven marketplaces, for example, even a single home user might need a high speed access account. For SMBs and larger businesses of course it’s worth the cost, for businesses -- high speed oftentimes equals more revenue.

As more and more companies use the Internet as a way to do business, consumers, clients and customers alike will find they want the high speed capabilities. In the banking industry for example, most financial institutions are offering perks to customers who conduct all their banking transactions paperless and online.

High speed also means you don’t have connection initiation, so you don’t have to deal with dialing up and getting a busy signal, or having your connection drop out during the downloading of yet another Microsoft patch.

What about the future of smaller homegrown ISP’s who cannot provide high speed options? Ultimately there will always be a need for smaller ISPs. For instance, a hometown provider can still provide other services at a lower cost, like Web hosting, e-mail hosting, and mail list services. For some communities high-speed access is not as readily available and the only cost efficient option also means a hometown ISP.  

For now, the race for Internet access is still on!