Leading to Competition Communications carries are beginning to provide a gateway to the Internet with a single integrated bill for Internet usage and phone or cable tv usage. Customer Service, Loyalty, and Retention Little customer loyalty exists for Internet providers - customers find difficulty in finding info, lack of useful info, system problems. Basic terminal emulation or shell account - pcs can connect to host or mainframes as if users were sitting in front of the appropriate terminal for that particular host computer. Complex to configure and set up. Network Bandwidth and Internet Access Network response time depends on bandwidth, te speed at which info can be sent or received.
Response time is limited by the speed of the connection to the Internet.
Local links from subscribers' homes to the online service provider are still running at slow speeds. Provides high-speed access to the Internet over existing phone wires. It integrates a large variety of voice, data, and image services via a single network. Cable wires can carry digital data as much as 1,000 times faster than phone lines. But, cable providers are known for high prices.