Internet service provider

Internet service provider A company which provides access to the Internet. Usually abbreviated to ISP and sometimes known as INTERNET ACCESS PROVIDERS. Such companies provide connection to the WORLD WIDE WEB, provide customers with some space on a WEB SERVER for their own WEB SITE, provide EMAIL ADDRESSes and DOMAIN NAMES, act as intermediaries in ECOMMERCE, and offer other technical assistance. Many companies also offer more specialized services such as Web design and WEB SITE PROMOTION. In the past Internet service providers charged a fee for their service; increasingly such providers are now charging indirectly by taking a proportion of the telephone charges that a user incurs when accessing services via the provider. Many service providers who charge a fee usually provide a large amount of CONTENT or a service such as free technical advice. There are a small number of totally free Internet service providers. However, the majority of them currently receive funds indirectly by asking their customers to switch to another phone company who then pays them an introduction fee.