ABSTRACT
This chapter explains why Internet Service Providers (ISPs) advertise speed, and answers fundamental questions users often rise about the speed of their Internet service. Although ISPs advertise higher speed, they are selling a higher capacity access connection. When they advertise their services, ISPs often use the term network speed and claim that they are selling a high-speed network or a faster network. An ISP is not talking about how fast a packet travels over a wire or through the air. Instead, the ISP is talking about network capacity, and is advertising higher capacity technology. A higher capacity network reduces the total time required to transfer data, making the transfer faster. The Internet seldom delivers data at the best possible rate. The reason is that no single user has exclusive use of a path across the Internet. Because the Internet is a shared infrastructure, a given network is likely to have simultaneous traffic from multiple users.
