More than 40 per cent of households are now connected to broadband, and many more are expected to subscribe this year, as
dial-up services are effectively priced out of the market.
High-speed broadband connections are considerably faster than analog
dial-up and have until recently been more expensive.
The majority of ISPs currently offer unlimited broadband packages which work out to be less expensive than the equivalent
dial-up package.
The new package is targeted at small-business customers seeking to upgrade their current
dial-up, cable modem or under-enriched DSL products with e-commerce and business-grade Internet services, and have been waiting for an affordable price to do so.
According to the company, Mistral's Accelerated
Dial-up product can make web browsing up to five times faster than with a standard 54kb/s connection and e-mail download up to three or four times faster.
"It is more expensive than
dial-up, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than using a mobile phone and a laptop," says Mr Lowdon.
The company utilizes cable modem, DSL (digital subscriber line), wireless and traditional
dial-ups to provide Internet service to the majority of Internet users.
In comparison, the fastest
dial-up service would only be capable of a 56 Kbps data transfer speed.
* EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY USE a
dial-up link--you risk being hacked.
The coming migration from
dial-up to broadband will be a boon to AOL, which now controls around 20 percent of the nation's cable lines.
In a networked environment, it is easy enough to access the console port using a
dial-up connection, but then cost and complexity enter the equation, since each device would require the installation of a modem and phone line.
Wired Environments announced today that the firm now offers the nation's most affordable, convenient and reliable
dial-up access-a cost-effective alternative to "always-on" Internet service.