What Is ISP? A Guide: What It Means & What They Do (2025)
Reading time: 7 min
Updated on December 28, 2024
An ISP, or Internet Service Provider, plays a vital role in your day-to-day life, but it’s not something most people really think about. ISPs create your connection to the digital world, giving you access to everything online — from browsing and streaming to working or torrenting. Without ISPs, the internet as we know wouldn’t exist.
In this guide, I’ll help you understand what an ISP is and how it functions within the internet ecosystem. Whether you’re curious about how ISPs provide your connection or how you should choose your ISP, this article breaks it all down in simple terms. Editor’s Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
Quick Guide: What Is ISP?
ISP stands for Internet Service Provider, and it’s a company that connects you to the internet. Your ISP assigns you an IP address, or Internet Protocol address, that gives your devices a unique identifier when you’re online. Without an ISP, you can’t browse the web, stream, play online games, or torrent.
ISPs control the infrastructure that makes the internet work, from cable and fiber optics to satellites. Sometimes, ISPs offer multiple services like a phone line or TV bundle alongside the internet. ISPs are also responsible for managing your internet speed and latency (or ping) and the reliability of your connection.
ISPs: What They Do and How They Work
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) deliver internet access to homes, businesses, and institutions — without an ISP, connecting to the internet wouldn’t be possible. They also manage the infrastructure that links your devices to the internet, like cables, fiber optic lines, satellites, and wireless networks.
ISPs usually operate using rented high-speed lines and large data centers, containing thousands of servers that manage internet traffic. Larger ISPs typically own the lines, giving them better control over the quality of their service. All ISPs connect to Internet Exchange Points, either directly or indirectly, to enable global internet traffic.
You’ll find many ISPs are also telecommunications companies that offer services like phone lines and TV channels. For example, AT&T in the US provides broadband alongside mobile phone services, while Virgin Media in the UK bundles internet, phone, and TV.
By managing both the physical infrastructure and the digital services on top of it, ISPs play a critical role in maintaining seamless internet access worldwide.
Different Types of ISP Connection
Depending on location and infrastructure, ISPs use one of the following types of connection to provide internet access:
- DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) — Uses telephone lines to provide internet with moderate speeds, but can be slower over long distances.
- Cable — Uses the same cables as cable TV (coaxial cables) and provides faster speeds than DSL, but can be affected by user congestion.
- Fiber Optic — Uses light signals transmitted through glass fibers, providing the fastest connection speeds with low latency.
- Satellite — Useful for remote or rural areas, using satellites to deliver internet when other methods aren’t available — tends to be slower and can have higher latency, especially when the weather is bad.
How to Choose an ISP
When you’re looking for an ISP, you should consider the following criteria:
- Coverage area — Check that the ISP is available in your location and that it provides reliable coverage — you can take a look at the provider’s website for information regarding speeds and uptime and read online reviews from customers in your area.
- Speed and bandwidth — Ensure that the ISP offers fast enough speeds and bandwidth capacity to meet your online needs for activity like working from home, gaming, or streaming.
- Data caps — If you’re online all the time, you’ll need an ISP that offers unlimited data or a high data cap.
- Additional services — Take a look at extras like free equipment (for example, a router), bundled services like a phone line or TV package, or security features like anti-malware tools or parental control options.
- Cost — Compare prices between different ISPs to find the plan that provides the best overall value for your budget.
- Customer support — Pick an ISP with 24/7 customer service through live chat or phone support for quick help if an issue arises — you can also look for email ticketing for less urgent queries and an online help site with FAQs and setup guides.
Information Your ISP Can See
Your ISP assigns your IP address, which serves as a digital identifier for your devices. Through your IP address, your ISP can track websites you visit, services you use, and your location. This data can be used to monitor bandwidth use or enforce content restrictions.
ISPs often retain logs of your internet activity, which can be shared with law enforcement when required. However, it’s important to note that your ISP can only see the domains you visit, but can’t detect the specific content you access on encrypted websites or secure connections.
In some countries, ISPs are permitted to sell anonymized browsing data to third-party marketers — this is a privacy concern, as the data can be used to create targeted profiles for advertising. Your ISP can also engage in bandwidth throttling, which means slowing down your internet speed based on your online activity (like streaming or torrenting).
You Can Hide Your Online Activity With a VPN
If you don’t want your ISP to monitor your online activity, using a VPN (virtual private network) is an effective option. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic making it unreadable to your ISP. While your ISP can see that you’re using a VPN to access the internet, they can’t see the website you’re visiting or the online activities you’re engaged in.
3 Best VPNs For Hiding Activity From Your ISP
- ExpressVPN — Features robust encryption protocols and a strict zero-logs policy to ensure your ISP can’t track your online activity.
- CyberGhost — Offers security features like automatic WiFi protection to keep your browsing private, even on public networks.
- Private Internet Access — Highly customizable options for encryption and traffic routing, giving you greater control over your online privacy.
FAQs: Internet Service Providers
What is ISP throttling?
Who is my Internet Service Provider?
What ISPs are available in my area?
What is the difference between my ISP and IP?
You Need an ISP to Access the Internet
If you don’t have an ISP, you can’t get online — it’s as simple as that. Your ISP provides your connection to the global internet, assigns you an IP address, and should ensure you have a reasonably fast and reliable connection. Just be mindful that your ISP can see your online activity, so you may want to use software like a VPN to boost your privacy.
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Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
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