Dial-Up Access

Dial-up access uses a modem connected to a computer and a telephone line to dial into an Internet service provider's node to establish a modem-to-modem link, which is then routed to the Internet.

Despite the advent of widely available broadband Internet access in most parts of the Western world, many people worldwide still connect via dial-up simply because there is no high speed Internet in their area.

Dial-up requires time to establish a telephone connection (approximately several seconds, depending on the location) and perform handshaking before data transfers can take place. In locales with telephone connection charges, each connection incurs an incremental cost. If calls are time-charged, the duration of the connection incurs costs.

Dial-up access is a transient connection, because either the user or the ISP terminates the connection. Internet service providers will often set a limit on connection durations to prevent hogging of access, and will disconnect the user — requiring reconnection and the costs and delays associated with that.

Dial-up requires no additional infrastructure on top of the telephone network. As telephone points are available throughout the world, dial-up remains useful to travelers. Dial-up is usually the only choice available for most rural or remote areas where getting a broadband connection is impossible due to low population and demand. Sometimes dial-up access may also be an alternative to people who have limited budgets as it is offered for free by some, though broadband is now increasingly available at lower prices in countries such as the United States and Canada due to market competition.