Would you believe that 3 percent of Internet users in the U.S. still use dial-up connection?
Somehow a dial-up connection in the U.S. does seem a little out of the ordinary. With so many hi-tech firms like Google, Microsoft and Apple Inc. capitalizing on high speed Internet and broadband, one would think that dial-up connection would be out of the question.
The good part about the about the 3 percent figure on dial up is that it represents Internet home use, which is not that shocking. It might be that most people use slow connection Internet at home because it is affordable, minimizing the use of expensive gadgets, for relatively simple tasks. This might be checking email at leisure or gathering information online for school projects and insights. Sometimes dial-up connections using fib
er optics piggy-backed on fixed line telephones can be faster than average Internet speeds too.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center about 65% of Internet users in the U.S. use broadband that is typically “always on.” And the use of broadband has been rising ever since. It is usually influenced by how users utilize the Net and the type of functions that are required.
The dial-up goes way back and there are no real differentiating factors between community groups and the types of Internet connection they have. But for some people in areas that do not have home service providers for cable or DSL, they really have no choice. This is one reason why AOL’s dial-up subscription are getting pricier.
The dial-up is symbolic of the digital divide in the United States since it is linked to home Internet use and socioeconomic status. Critics say that the term high speed broadband is used to include all connections excluding dial-up. This might be stretching the point.
An alternative to using dial-ups is to use a good cell phone that can connect to your PC using a bluetooth, data cable or as a wireless modem.
Users with a high-end phones like Apple Inc’s iPhone, the iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia, Google Nexus 7 or the Samsung Galaxy s4 are able to access faster Internet speeds with EDGE technology. This connection may be used on a laptop for speeds that hover around 150 kpbs.
Samsung smartphones like the galaxy S4 have an advantage because it uses Android, which provides mostly free apps. This enables online users to make use of network booster apps and signal sensors to obtain stronger and faster 2G connections on a sim card that can increase the speed on your phone. this can be hooked up to the desktop or laptop using bluetooth, data cable or wireless AP-Wifi connections from the smart phone.
Tablets work particularly well in establishing wireless 2G connections that can be converted as wi-fi for laptops and desktops by creating access points.
This makes sense since you can obtain high Internet speeds by using your sim card connection from any local service provider. It is also a great cost cutting approach to faster Internet.