AOL Agrees to High-Speed Internet Deal

America Online has agreed to sell high-speed Internet access and services once again in conjunction with Covad Communications Group Inc., stated the company Wednesday to Reuters.

Although AOL stopped offering high-speed access in January due to high billing and customer service costs, the Internet giant will now offer Covad’s high-speed services when new customers register for AOL’s personal high-speed programming.

This deal differs from previous ones; AOL previously purchased high-speed access from both cable and telephone providers and subsequently resold it to new consumers. Now, however, duties will be split between the two companies–Covad will directly bill customers and AOL will bill them for programming.

High-speed Internet access has become a hot commodity for Web users nowadays. Dial-up modem subscribers are quickly leaving the service for newer broadband offerings. There are several types of high-speed Internet services. Here are some of the main categories.

Cable: Cable modems are always on and constantly connected to the Internet. Therefore, one never has to dial in to an Internet service provider. Cable modems are approximately 20 times faster than a basic dial-up connection.

DSL: A Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) provides a high-speed digital modem via a telephone line. Because it uses signal frequencies above those used by voice or fax, DSL instantly separates Internet traffic from phone traffic.

T1: A T1 line is a private line that goes directly from one’s office/business to an Internet service provider. It provides transmission at 1.544Mbps, almost 60 times more data than a normal modem. Depending on what they are doing, a T1 line can handle many users.

T3: A leased, private line, a T3 is similar to a T1. However, its connection equals that of 28 T1 connections. The T3, which has a bandwidth large enough to transmit real-time videos in full motion, is generally used for networking within a large institution.

Satellite: Satellite broadband can send and receive data from satellites orbiting Earth. It has immediate availability from any location. With satellite, one does not need a dial-up connection or a phone line. It can reach virtually anyone in the country.

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