With high-speed Internet access becoming available in more and more areas, perhaps it is now available in your neck of the woods. If it is, you might be wondering if it makes sense to upgrade from dialup. For most people, the answer is probably yes! Here are a few reasons why:

- Cost - As it was for me, your most important consideration is most likely the extra expense required to move up to a high-speed connection. But if you think about it, the extra cost is probably very minimal.

If you now pay for a second phone line just for accessing the Internet, that monthly payment added to your ISP charge is probably as much as a high-speed connection will cost you.

- Increased productivity - If you work from home via the web, you'll get more done in less time with fast Internet access.

Large downloads will take seconds instead of minutes (or even hours), and your Internet research time will be cut dramatically. And all of those huge, graphic intensive web pages that slowly creep onto your screen will pop up right away!

- Convenience - You'll no longer be annoyed by lost connections and endless busy signals. You can stop waiting around while your modem dials in and does its best to establish a shaky connection.

A high-speed Internet connection is always on, meaning whenever your computer is on you have immediate and constant access to the Internet. What a timesaver!

- Conclusion - If you work at home and high-speed Internet access is available to you, you'll almost certainly be extremely happy if you make the move. In fact, most people who try it wonder how they ever got along without it and say they'll never switch back!

Even if you use the Internet simply for recreation and pleasure, the astounding difference in speed and convenience coupled with the relatively minor extra cost make a high-speed connection a bargain!

Generally speaking, wireless computer connections are reliable. However, nothing is perfect, and sometimes you may lose your connection or experience a weak signal. There are many factors that impact the reliability of your wireless connection.

For example, if your wireless adapter is too close to a 2.4 GHz wireless telephone, you may notice a decrease in your computer’s wireless single strength. Why? Because the phone and the computer reside on the same frequency and can interfere with each other’s performance.

Handy Repair Checklist for Wireless Interruptions

1. First check to see if your cable or DSL is actually working. Usually located in your basement, most modems have four lights. You have a live Internet connection if the “data” or “status” light is on. If it’s off, or flashing, your cable is out.

2. If your cable/DSL is working, then reboot your computer. Sometimes, if your cable/DSL goes out for even 10 seconds, your computer and the wireless router may no longer be able to talk to each other. By rebooting your computer, a new IP address is assigned, allowing them to once again communicate.

3. If your desktop is wireless and you’ve moved the wireless adapter [the box that sits next to the computer with antennas], then you may need to move the adapter until you find a stronger signal.

Of primary concern to all internet users is their actual connection to the internet.

A user needs to look at all the factors and weigh the benefits and costs

1. Reliability - is the connection available 24/7, or do you get a busy signal?
2. Speed - at what speeds can a user upload and download files?
3. Costs - what are the setup and monthly costs for the internet connection service?
4. Support - is support available 24/7 and is it free or is there a cost associated with it?
5. Availability - is the desired service available at your location?

Available options with good and bad features include:

Local dial up with phone company (local isp) - While this many times is the simplest, often times, they are the most costly and support can be an issue. Speeds are typically the slowest at 26k to 56k connection speeds.

Software file compression- If you only have 26k dialup isp connections available to you or you want to speed up your DSL connections, this is an important option you should take a look at. With this type of software you can increase your internet connection speeds by as much as five times for very little money. Popular software products that accomplish this are ActiveSpeed, PropelAccelerator, Dr. Speed, and SuperSpeeder, Highly recommended solution to increasing your browsing experience.

Local dial up with national firm - This is by far the most popular with companies like AOL, People PC, Juno, EarthLink, and Netzero providing this service to millions of users. These certainly are the most cost effective and provide excellent 24/7 support. With the high speed upgrade options you can approach 112 k speeds. If the company has a local or toll free number available in your area, then this alternative provides the lowest cost isp internet connection.

Cable connection - If cable TV is available in your area, many firms also provide an internet connection for an additional fee. Requires special cable modem. Speeds are anywhere from 512k to 10Mps.

DSL or digital service line - Many local phone companies are providing this service to selected areas. Requires installation of DSL modem on your computer and speeds typically are from 512k to 9Mps. The distance from the local hub also affects your speed. You will pay 2 to 3 times the costs of basic dial up.

Broadband - Is a term loosely thrown around that is applied to a DSL, cable, wireless, or satellite internet connections. Technically broadband is a minimum of 1.5Mbs but is used to market products with bandwidth as low as 512k. When you hear the term broadband used, think like "health food", an undefined marketing catch word.

Wireless internet connection - This option is available in limited area's and requires a wireless modem on your computer. Speeds typically are 2Mbps and this is a flexible approach as you do not need to be hardwired or plugged in. Available in many metro area's.

Satellite internet connection - This is the perfect solution for remote area's if you require a high speed internet connection. Upload and download speeds are different and in some cases you can only download via satellite and are required to upload via dial up. This is the most expensive alternative, but you can get service basically anywhere in the world. Speeds starting at 500k are available. Contact Directway for dependable and fast satellite internet connections.

Telecommunication, according to Wikipedia, is the extension of communication over a distance. In practice, it also recognizes that something may be lost in the process; hence the term 'telecommunication' covers all forms of distance and/or conversion of the original communications, including radio, telegraphy, television, telephony, data communication and computer networking.

While defining telecom gets more and more difficult, the profit and ethics behind the business keep on diminishing. SBC spent $16B to a company whose revenue stream is declining more than 10% year over year. Verizon bought MCI, and in order to make deal lucrative, they say they will layoff over 7,000 people.

The reason for scaling-down in telecom is that the technological advancement has terribly been focused on communications. We all owe a thank to nineties for that... Lots of technical people has seen the future in Telecom and made huge amounts of mind investment to the business. Today, we are forced to live in an overly competitive industry where telecom is forced to be cheaper everyday. To make matters worse, a company called Skype appeared. This global P2P Telephony Company decided to make old fashioned definition of telecom a commodity through its software, which allows you to make free calls over the Internet. Other emerging companies like Net2Phone and 8x8 also flocked customers to make cheaper (sometimes free) calls.

Some traditional telecom companies have kept an awry eye on those start-ups while adopting technologies like VoIP. They mostly thought those new technologies are something to monitor and investigate. In other words, they are disruptive. Some assumed the danger and started firing QoS bullet, as those startups do not provide top-notch service like incumbents do.

The fact of the matter is, none of those business plans will hold true should they are based on making money on calls. Like Michael Powell said, “I knew it was over when I downloaded Skype...”

So, can we say that telecom is a commodity?

My answer would be no, if network providers accept to change their musty mindset. Three things are important if the full background of this new notion is to be understood. First is, telecoms exist to provide infrastructure. The rest needs to be handled by networking and computing companies.

The need for voice, video and data are going hand in hand. There is no value in them when there is no Internet. That’s why, the second is, the new business plan should be based on the Internet access. If telecoms want to survive, charging customers packet-based with the guarantee of excellent QoS is the only way to go. MPLS is their material to make this happen.

This way, optimization, the biggest concern of telecom industry, can be solved as the packet usage can be approximated. Demoting VoIP into an application to where it originally is can be doable in packet-based model. This new model will also disallow fighting against free-of-charge models and bring a fresh breath to network providers to generate more revenue.

Third is, not only the ability of optimization but also the prioritization and security of the traffic, if needed, will let network providers to put extra cash to their pockets. The money behind the content will not be their ball game.

Some may argue that there is no incremental cost of extra usage of packets to a network so the value behind tracking the traffic is nonsense. However, what is unseen is that it forces network providers to upgrade their systems quicker. They can also build their cost /profit structure easier.

Perils to the model would be the evolution span of MPLS and anti-spam systems. MPLS, as an immature technology, is welcomed with high expectations. Addressing all needs in such a short period of time needs a lot of investment. The story is almost the same for anti-spam solutions too. No customer would like to pay extra for spam as this is adding to the traffic that a user is using. That would force network providers to unify on an MPLS/ anti-spam model where they and their customers can rely on.

Once this new role of incumbents is well assumed with solid technology, then converting the so-called threat of telecom commoditization into an opportunity is feasible.

Hospital’s and the Medical Professionals associated with them across America have discovered during the last few years that a great deal of efficiency can be accomplished by utilizing the World Wide Web to connect Doctors, Surgeons, Medical Transcribers and remote or mobile Clinics together. A specialist can instantly review an X-Ray or medical chart half way around the world or from a very remote area. Although most of this connectivity is accomplished utilizing high speed terrestrial internet connections like a T1, Cable or DSL connections, there are many areas in the U.S. where this type of internet connection isn’t available.

Satellite internet connectivity has advanced enough during the last year or so to allow a specialist to view highly detailed graphical information (x-rays or scans from MRI equipment) in a HIPPA compliant internet environment that can be deemed “high speed”. The equipment needed to accomplish this is more expensive than a DSL or Cable connection and there are somewhat more complicated security measures needed; however, more and more medical group’s are seeing the benefits from this type of connection and adding satellite internet “ground stations” at the remote homes of resident doctors, medical professionals like transcribers and smaller clinics they serve.

The early efforts to provide satellite internet to this field were frankly miserable failures……either not HIPPA compliant or speeds so slow you could have gotten a courier to bring it faster! DirecWay and Starband solutions just don’t have enough upload speed to handle this type of activity. When you add nearly 2 seconds of latency inherent in this type of satellite connection, you have a bunch of frustrated folks!

The equipment which will be the standard for several years to come includes an outdoor dish (1.2 meter is now standard), coax cabling no greater than 200’ to an indoor unit which handles routing, modem functions and provides the required security. The upload transmitters are much more powerful now……up to 4 watts (compared to 1 watt or less in earlier solutions). They are capable of instantly “ramping up” the wattage during inclement weather to all but eliminate rain fade and can provide sustained speeds in the T1 or better range if required.

What does all of this magic cost? The costs have dropped precipitously during the last year as a result of two main factors: underutilized transponders on many Ku band satellites covering North America and good ole competition between the hardware manufacturers. In 2002 a .74 meter dish setup with a ½ watt transmitter ran over $2,800 for equipment and upwards of $150 per month…..and did a miserable job! In 2005, the same basic cost will bring a 1.2 meter dish and speeds of nearly 1200 kbps download and a sustained 128 kbps or better upload……including a Quality of Service (QOS) guarantee of speed from the internet service provider! Higher speeds are available for additional cost (as high as 2040+kbps downloads and 1028+kbps uploads).

These speeds combined with much lower latency (these internet providers use IP technology throughout the trip through space – not Digital Video Broadcast translated into IP) provide a reliable, secure and fast experience. For the professional or clinic unable to obtain terrestrial high speed internet, it is a great solution.

DSL – which stands for Digital Subscriber Line – is a great way to get high-speed internet service, without having to get a cable modem, or live in an area that has cable lines. DSL providers have very fast and comparatively cheap internet connectivity.

To explain DSL, it is a way to enjoy high-speed internet using your telephone line, just as you would for dial up. Except that it has so many more advantages than a regular internet service could provide.

Have a look at some of the great ways that DSL internet can benefit your home or business:

- With a DSL installation, you can keep your internet connection open, and still use the same telephone line for phone calls; both incoming and outgoing.

- The internet speed that you can obtain with a quality DSL provider is much greater than that of a regular dial-up modem. To compare, you can get an average of 1.5 Mbps with a DSL modem, as opposed to only 56 Kbps with a dial-up connection (that’s 10 times faster!).

- DSL connection doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll need any new wiring. As long as you have a phone line with which to connect, then you’re already all set.

- Many DSL providers will supply you with the right kind of modem as a part of the DSL installation.

There are a few minor disadvantages to DSL that you might want to note. But it is pretty clear that DSL is far superior than any standard connection to the internet, and if you have the choice, you should most certainly aim for the convenience of high-speed. Some of these disadvantages include:

- DSL connections work best when you are located close to the DSL provider’s central location. If you are, indeed, close, then this should not be a concern.

- DSL internet is faster for receiving than for sending. However, the sending is still a great deal faster than standard internet services.

- DSL service is not available universally. You’ll need to check your local suppliers to find out if they are DSL providers.

We are now well ensconced in a time when the Web is riddled with graphics, animations, sounds, and videos, bringing about a necessity for superior internet access such as that which broadband can provide. The fact is that anything less than the speed supplied by a broadband cable has become inadequate for today’s Web users.

Of course, if you use the internet only once every so often, you wouldn’t be as heavily dependent upon high-speed internet access as is provided by broadband, however, if you’re a regular user, it’s virtually a necessity.

But wait a minute…even though you use the internet, it doesn’t mean you know exactly what this high focus form of internet access actually is. So lets start there. In essence, broadband is a very fast form of internet connection. Broadband Will provide you with a noticeably faster internet speed than a dial-up connection.

Broadband used to be a challenge only because of it’s limited availability, however, today there are many ways that you can have a much faster connection. The delivery methods of broadband have been expanded to the following types of broadband cable:

- Copper telephone wires
- Cable TV wires
- Radio microwaves from local base stations
- Satellite microwaves from geo-stationary satellites

Now lets look at why this faster style of internet access is actually better. The benefits of broadband actually include much more than faster downloads. Broadband is the connection that is always “on”. As soon as you start up your computer, it’s already connected to the internet. For anyone who has waited for a modem to dial up and connect, the advantage of this is quite apparent. Furthermore, broadband allows you to download movies, music, and web pages that were virtually inaccessible in practical terms when using dial-up.

But the benefits of broadband aren’t just felt by individual users. Businesses, governments, schools, and communities can all experience the superiority that broadband cables can provide.

Here are some examples of benefits for each of those types of organizations:

- Businesses will notice an increase in productivity when large data files transfer quickly and directly among local and head offices, no matter the distance between the locations. Moreover, with the popularity of net-meetings and videoconferencing, a face-to-face meeting becomes entirely possible without the travel costs.

- Schools can now offer equal opportunities to their students no matter their location or funding. A student in a remote community is now able to use a broadband connection to receive violin lessons from the same revered instructor as a student in a large city. Moreover, rural students can take virtual field trips and see the same fascinating and educational museums as city kids.

- Local governments are now enjoying broadband benefits that let them provide one-stop shopping for town business transactions, as well as licensing, permits, billing, and utility payments.

- Communities have been quick to jump on the broadband band wagon to promote their local historical and other various tourist attractions. No other marketing resource reaches as far and as effectively as the internet.

There are so many fantastic benefits to a high-speed, broadband internet connection, that it is becoming as “basic” a need as a computer in today’s society.

The revolution is just getting started and will be begin to make its mark this year. By 2010, it will begin to take off. By 2025, it will be the standard for all TV viewing. It's called Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV for short. IPTV works with a set-top box connected to any broadband interface and to a TV. It will allow users to choose among thousands (and eventually hundreds of thousands) of hours of programming, including movies, sports, classic TV, etc., and download their selections from the internet to the hard drive of the set-top box.

Initially, set-top box hard drives will be able to store up to 300 hours of programming at a time, but capacity will expand as the technology becomes more refined. Also, download times will become shorter and shorter as broadband connection speeds become faster and faster. Eventually, a two-hour movie will be fully downloadable in a couple of minutes. Once the programs are downloaded to the hard drive, they can be viewed on the connected TV at any time via a DVR-type interface provided by the set-top box.

Besides the convenience of an all video-on-demand (VOD) environment, IPTV will provide a much wider range of programming than broadcast, cable, and satellite TV, or even major video chains, could ever provide. Because the programming is available from the internet, it will be almost completely unlimited and unconstrained. Programming from all over the world will be available along with every imaginable genre of niche programming. Also, previously unreleased independent films that have been sitting on shelves for years due to the lack of a distribution source will suddenly become available to the masses via IPTV. Films that previously could not be made at all will become a reality and be available on the IPTV services. Long forgotten films and TV shows will have new life breathed into them by IPTV. To top it all off, much of this programming will be eventually be available in high definition (HDTV)!

Most IPTV platforms will be divided into "channels", but not the same kind of channels that we have grown accustomed to with traditional TV services. In this case, a "channel" is defined as a division of an IPTV service by individual content provider. Each content provider carried by a given IPTV platform will have its own guidelines for delivering programming on its channel. Some will provide their content for free to everyone who owns a given IPTV product. Some will be subscription based, i.e., everything on their channels will be available for a monthly or annual subscription. Others will be all pay-per-view. Still others will provide a combination of all of the above.

Several entrants into this market have either already debuted or plan to debut sometime this year. Among those are Akimbo (www.akimbo.com), DAVETV (www.dave.tv), TimeShifTV (www.timeshiftv.com), and VCinema (www.vcinema.com). Please see their respective websites for more details, as each one will offer a slightly different variation of IPTV technology. In addition, a joint venture between TiVo (www.tivo.com) and NetFlix (www.netflix.com) will be starting up later this year. TiVo plans to eventually make the entire Netflix DVD library available to its customers on an on-demand basis via a broadband connection to a TiVo box and a TV. Other potential IPTV contenders will be announcing their intentions over the next year or two. One of these nascent IPTV services headquartered near my home has already started placing "help wanted" ads in my local newspaper.

Within the next 20 years, all the fuss over broadcast TV indecency will become irrelevant, as there will be very little other than news and live sporting events on broadcast TV. The major networks will shift most of their entertainment programs to IPTV to avoid all the broadcast content restrictions currently being enforced by the FCC. Eventually, broadcast TV will cease to exist. Cable and satellite services as we know them will also become extinct. Yes, there will still be cable and satellite platforms, but they, along with DSL and wireless internet services, will exist merely as conduits for bringing broadband internet into homes and offices. There won't be any more cable and satellite TV, per se. The now 60-year-old paradigm of television schedules in which programs air at specific times on specific days of the week will pretty much be a thing of the past. Everything, except what's left of broadcast TV, will be exclusively available on demand via an IPTV platform.

These developments in no way mean that all TV programming will become more risqué. While there will be plenty of risqué programming available to those who want it, there will an almost unlimited supply of family and religious programs available. With a veritable smorgasbord of entertainment options at your fingertips, there will be something available for all tastes. IPTV may not turn out to be a TV utopia, but it's at least going to come close that ideal.

Ka Band VSAT* satellite internet technology has enormous possibilities for telecommuters, rural locations and eventually for Motor Home users around the U.S. - if it works! Ka Band satellite internet is an all new approach to sending and receiving internet traffic from space (satellites used for internet are at least 23,000 miles from Earth). *Very small aperture terminal.

The key improvements in Ka band technology from the “blanket” approach used up to now are:

1. Ka Band employs “spot beams” rather than broadcasting over an entire Continent….a far more efficient use of the available bandwidth resulting in lower monthly service cost to end users (as low as $49 per mo.).

2. Ka Band doesn’t require a very large dish (the dish is about the size of a trash can lid) to produce high speed internet in either direction (downloads & uploads are very fast), resulting in a lower equipment cost to consumers.

3. Ka Band uses technology that drastically lowers latency (the “lag” created by data traveling all the way to space and back).

When available, Ka band will enable remote teleworkers and consumer users to surf, work and email successfully at speeds approaching DSL & Cable for roughly $450-$650 for equipment and $49.00 to $95.00 per month for service. Users can expect download speeds at roughly 1500 kbps (kilobits per second) and upload speeds from 128-256 kbps, more than enough to handle most any work or leisure scenario. The cost is higher than DSL and Cable but when you can’t get anything but dial-up, the cost might well be worth it for the 20,000,000 or so folks out there with nothing but a phone (if that!). Another benefit of this technology is users will now be able to take advantage of Voice over IP (using the internet to make regular phone calls). Current satellite technology (Direcway and Starband) has too much inherent latency to allow successful VOIP, unless you are willing to say “over” like a walkie-talkie connection, after each sentence! I currently make unlimited calls Nationwide for a flat cost of $25.00 per month and nobody can tell the difference in voice quality. I can call Europe for about $.03 per minute or less! The savings are big, but for some rural homeowners it might be the only telephone service they are able to get.

Do you find yourself waiting around for your Internet pages to load or digital photo files and other attachments to transfer?

Do your friends and family complain that they can never get through on the phone line because you or your kids are always online.Chances are you are still using dial up Internet service.Perhaps it’s time to consider an alternative method.

The main three types of high speed access include DSL, cable and satellite Internet. At the current time, DSL service providers and cable are not available in all areas. Some parts of the country do not have access to either option. Good satellite Internet reception is dependant on an unobstructed line of sight to the south. So where you live can make a big difference in which high speed Internet service you choose.

Here are some overviews of each service and comparisons for those fortunate to have more than one option available:

DSL Service Providers

DSL, which stands for Digital Subscriber Line, describes a technology that taps into unused frequencies on copper telephone lines to transmit information at much higher speeds. There is no dialup and accessing services. So access is immediate. With DSL, you can send both voice and high speed data over the same line. The bandwidth, or data transfer capacity, or DSL ranges from 128 Kbps to 1.544 Mbps downstream to your computer. Upstream transfer from your computer is usually limited to 128 Kbps. Bandwidth is dedicated so you don’t have to share with other users, but DSL is also more effective the closer you are to service provider's facilities. If your local area has plenty of cable bandwidth available it may be a better option for those located greater distances from a DSL provider. Average monthly charges for DSL services are around $55-$65.

Verizon is one of the leading providers of high speed DSL service, with a large coverage area. With Verizon DSL you get a monthly package for $34.95 that includes unlimited access with a personalized home page, 9 e-mail accounts, and 10 megabytes of web space. For those customers with multiple computers in the home, there is a home networking option available. You can connect multiple home computers and laptops to a single high-speed DSL Internet connection at no additional monthly cost.

Earthlink DSL is another option. Their basic package, which includes the same features as Verizon’s offer also includes a free dial-up service which allows you to enjoy 20 hours of Internet access per month when you're away from home. This package typically costs $39.99 per month. Earthlink also offers cable and satellite Internet.

As noted, DSL uses copper telephone wires. Rural areas and some cities do not have these wires available for large volume use, which means that DSL is not yet an option in those areas, even if Verizon, Earthlink or another provider offers services there.

Cable

If you have cable TV available in your area, chances are that you have access to Internet through your cable provider. This service uses the same wires as your cable TV programming and depending on the provider and the area, there may be a good deal of bandwidth available or a more limited amount. Because users share bandwidth, this could be an issue for those living in areas with limited amounts available for Internet use. It is a good question to ask your cable provider before signing up. Your choice for cable Internet is typically limited to only those providers who offer cable TV in your area. On average, cable Internet does tend to be a bit faster than DSL. Service is often slightly less expensive than DSL, averaging around $45 per month.

Satellite

If you do not have DSL or cable Internet available in your area, satellite Internet may provide a viable option. Its speed is comparable to other high speed Internet services, its always on, and you have the option of adding satellite TV service. However, it requires that you have a clear view of the southern sky from your home anywhere in the continental United States in order to receive good reception from the satellites. The service is typically a good deal more expensive than the other two high speed options discussed, averaging around $100 per month with installation fees of up to $400.

Some people confuse satellite Internet with what’s known as WiFi. WiFi Internet services are actually provided by access nodes located in high traffic areas such as airports and hotel or through Internet cafes. If you have a laptop equipped with WiFi receiver, you can access services from within about 1000 feet of the node. There is typically a fee to use this service. It is a good idea for travelers but does not meet the need for home Internet use because it required the access node.

Although there are several satellite Internet providers, they all use similar technology. DirecTV is a popular provider because they are also a top satellite TV company. DirecTV satellite Internet service is delivered through a wholly owned subsidiary, DIRECWAY. DirecTV satellite Internet costs $99.99 per month and requires customers to purchase a satellite dish and modem. Installation is typically available from the distributor.

Comparisons

Consult a comparison chart such as the High Speed Internet Guide which should give you a fair idea of the speed and costs involved. However, it is important to note that the data transfer rates you can get from either DSL or Cable will depend entirely on whatever local providers are in your area.

Are you a dial-up user looking for a faster connection, but don't like Broadband prices? If so, you should take a look at a new service called OnSpeed, which has received rave reviews in Internet technology publications.

What OnSpeed does is to re-route web pages and email via its own servers, compressing the data on the fly prior to sending it onwards to your PC. A small program then decompresses the data, so that you can view it in the normal way via your browser or email client.

In my own dial-up tests, with a modem running at a nominal 49kb/s I appeared to get speeds close to that of my normal broadband connection of 598 kb/s - very impressive. Image quality is often reduced but the compression for this can be improved, though with an adverse effect on the speed of course.

Some file types like MP3 also cannot yet be compressed. The company is working on these issues however and expects to find solutions soon.

Unfortunately I was unable to use email in my tests, due to a 'port' conflict with a spam filter that I was using. The standard advice on the OnSpeed site for such cases is to disable the offending program. Not a constructive approach - to say the least - so I hope that the relevant instructions will be changed soon.

More significantly, the problem persisted even when I switched off the OnSpeed application on my PC; in the end I had to remove the program to get the spam filter working again. I expect that this fault can be resolved, but clearly there are issues in this area that need to be addressed.

The software is easy to install, and is available for Mac as well as Windows PCs. On the whole the service is surprisingly good, and a lot cheaper than broadband. Unlike other 'speed-up' techniques that tweak your computer's settings but result in little noticeable improvement, OnSpeed really works.

I can recommend OnSpeed for dial-up users who can't justify the expense of broadband, or who are not located close enough to a suitable exchange. OnSpeed is also stated to be great for mobile or PDA users, as GPRS (wireless) speeds can be boosted by as much as 8 times. It even helps with broadband if you can only get a reduced service in your area.

Internet or online faxing is a relative new invention that is quickly gaining in popularity with many fax users. Countless businesses, large and small, are switching their daily faxing chores over to this new online phenomenon. Likewise, many individual fax users are also switching their faxing needs over to an Internet fax service.

The major reason for this switch has to do with the savings you gain -- Internet Fax can be MUCH cheaper than using the old traditional method with a fax machine and an extra phone line.

Yet despite this growing popularity, many would-be customers still have many unanswered questions about this new way of faxing. Frequently asked questions that need to be answered in a simple and honest manner.

So here's a brief run-down of the most popular questions about Internet Fax:

What is Internet Faxing?

Email or Internet fax is simply using your email system and the Internet to receive and send your faxes. Anytime. Anywhere.

Major advantage - instead of a bulky fax machine and an extra phone line; you can use your current email and an online fax service provider. The most popular Internet Fax Services are MyFax, eFax, Send2Fax, RapidFAX and TrustFax. These fax providers will charge you a small monthly fee for their services.

Just How Does An eMail Fax Work?

Internet Fax works by using your email. You receive and send faxes by using your email system and the Internet.

First, you must set up a local or toll-free number with one of the Internet Fax Service Providers. Then you use this fax number to receive and send faxes via email.

Most, if not all, Internet Fax services will let you use an online site (Web Interface) to do your faxing. Or you can use an email program like Windows Outlook. Many Internet Fax Providers also give you a free desktop application download that you can place on your desktop to send and receive faxes. Most will also work with Windows Office Documents.

You can access your faxes wherever you have the Internet, this is great for busy mobile professionals, onsite workers, business travelers or just the ordinary person on vacation.

How Do I Read An Inbound Fax?

Incoming or inbound faxes are delivered to you as an email, with the fax as a file attachment. This file attachment will usually be a TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), or it can be PDF, JPG or other formats.

To view these File Attachments or faxes you will need a viewer. Most computers have an Adobe Acrobat Reader which will read PDF files. Also, you should note, the latest version of Windows has a built-in viewer -- just double-clicking the file attachment will automatically pop-up the Windows Fax Viewer. Then you can then zoom in and out, move between the fax pages...

Please note -- most services recommend that you NOT use any Graphics program like Paint Shop Pro to read faxes.

Will Email Fax Work With My ISP?

Yes, provided you have set up an account with one of the external fax service providers listed in the resource box link below. These fax services are well suited to work with DSL, ADSL and ISDN Internet Cable Broadband Connections.

Is Fax To Email Private?

No and Yes!

While many Internet Fax Providers use SSL and PGP encryption when sending your faxes and most email service providers are compliant with privacy regulations as Gramm-Leach-Bliley & HIPAA in the United States and PIPEDA in Canada, you are still using email and the Internet to send your faxes.

While encryption does insure safe transmission, many fax services will store your faxes online in their systems for a period of time, your faxes will be as safe or as private as your Provider's security measures.

Therefore, it is always a good idea, if you're worried about sensitive faxes -- to delete these from any online storage system ASAP. Keep in mind, any online site, no matter how secure may be hacked - including governments and banks, as you frequently read about.

If you're careful and take the right steps, email faxing can be relatively safe. But you should also ask yourself, how safe or private are ordinary phone lines if you're faxing old school?

How Are My Faxes Tracked?

Usually, your fax service provider will have a couple of ways of notifying you about the success or failure of your fax. They will send you an email or you can log into your Internet fax account and track the status of your fax.

Many providers will also report to you the cost of each fax you send. If you're new to Internet faxing, always keep track of how much your online faxing is costing you or your company. Rates vary and you can cut costs by choosing the most appropriate plan and service to perfectly match your specific needs. This is one case where a little homework done now, will save you money over the long haul.

What Is Fax Broadcasting?

Fax broadcasting is sending a fax out to a large group of recipients at one time. Most Internet Fax providers offer this service, especially to businesses or organizations that have to send a document to a large group of contacts. This is very similar to sending an email to all your opt-in list subscribers.

You can use your email contact list to send a Fax Broadcast.

Are Free Fax Services Really Free?

Be very cautious of free Internet Fax providers, many times it is free only to receive faxes, but you will have to pay to send them. This free service may be worth your while if you only receive a few faxes in a month. Don't confuse this with 'Free 30 Day Trials' that most of these services provide where you can try and test a service to see if it is suitable for your needs.

Remember, if your faxing needs are very modest, you can pay a very small yearly amount to get faxing services for yourself or your business.

Currently the United States Military and other militaries around the world are working on vibrational communication technologies, which allow someone to communicate without speaking to fellow soldiers. The men would merely think a thought and without actually uttering a word the vocal cords would move and create a silent vibration and that would be translated into a word and put into a tiny microphone of the ear of their team.

The Military has this technology now and will be giving it to the troops. So they can use vocal cords to send signals via a small box to other people on the team. I believe this is the next step to communication for special-forces and eventually the rest of the military, also SWAT and DHS. Then transfer technologies, will soon happen for medical and since the Universities who made this stuff often have medical facilities attached.

While I'll just bet all this is in the works right as we speak and test people and prototypes are already out there now. And look at the older technology that Steven Hawkins is using now to give speeches? Pretty cool stuff indeed. Perhaps also these units will be driven by LED computer chips using so little energy that it could work off the very vibrations that are produced or the human bio-system itself.

Not only that, but with the new translation technologies, people maybe able to communicate this way using different languages as well. Of course the next step will be to put one on your dog. Yes you language will be translated into any language, I assume this is how we will converse with animals one day. The dog will say, you know I want to go for a walk now!

Inter-species communication will be more possible. Because they do not have the same vocal cords you see, but they can make sounds and those sounds mean something, their language. It will be an awakening for humans, as they are so utterly arrogant really. Perhaps you will enjoy thinking on this in 2007 and it will indeed propel thought?

Manually auditing reams of telecom bills from a variety of sources is time intensive and often proves ineffective. To identify costly telecom billing errors enterprises are investing in telecom expense management systems that automate these tasks. Gartner estimates that 19 - 20 percent of telecom charges are in error, making telecom billing management a priority for large and small enterprises. Charges for disconnected lines and unused services routinely appear in telecom billing invoices. By installing an automated call accounting software system, companies can identify every billing error so that it can be resolved.

To ensure accurate call data reconciliation, telecom expense management software allows enterprises to track all of their wired and wireless phone activity to determine where errors are occurring. A good telecom expense management system handles high volumes of call activity (many millions) and an unlimited number of stations and corporate users, to capture all call data records, so companies can reconcile charges with invoices from telecom carriers.

It is important to look for a call accounting system that can process calls and generate reports in seconds compared to hours on systems using conventional database technology, so that corporations with any number of sites can take control of their telecom expense management. A system that allows companies to build their own custom reports can help auditors examine call record data graphically in 2D or 3D, and automatically schedule and process reports via printing, emailing, saving them on a network, or posting them to a website.

With the sheer number and complexity of telecom carrier bills an investment in a call accounting system can deliver ROI by freeing up phone bill auditors' time and identifying costly billing errors. By employing a full featured telecom expense management system enterprises can also protect sensitive corporate and customer data. The advanced security features built into today's call accounting software systems can help thwart attempts to compromise the phone system, and provide safeguards to help enterprises comply with strict compliance regulations.