Patent ID: 7472192

Claim:
A method of providing a connection to a distributed network for at least one user comprising: (a) providing a connection center; (b) establishing a plurality of connections from the connection center to a respective plurality of network service providers each providing a connection to the distributed network; (c) storing a database of supplier parameters characterizing each of the network service providers; (d) transmitting at least some of said parameters for display to prospective users wishing to connect to the network; (e) in response to a request from a requesting user to connect to the network using at least one network service provider selected from said plurality of network service providers, storing network service provider preference data specific to the requesting user; (f) establishing a connection from the requesting user to the connection center comprising allocating a block of IP addresses from the connection center to the requesting user; (g) storing routing data specific to the user based on the network service provider preference data; (h) in the connection center, routing network traffic between the requesting user and the distributed network via at least one of the network service providers based on the routing data specific to the requesting user and announcing the-block of IP addresses allocated to the user to the distributed network whereby the requesting user becomes a connected user; (i) modifying network service provider preference data stored for the at least one connected user while the connected user remains connected to the distributed network via at least one of said selected network service providers and wherein the user is initially connected to the distributed network via a first network service provider and following said modifying the user is connected via a second network service provider; and automatically migrating network traffic from the first to the second network service provider and wherein during said migrating network traffic may be routed via either of said first or second network service providers.