The Internet: Past, Present, Future

Over the years, the Internet has grown exponentially. As at September 2002, it was estimated that there were a total of 605.6 million users online. Larger bandwidth that was made available to the Internet subscribers has made it possible for them to enjoy multimedia contents over the Internet. With the advancement and innovation of technology, users at home can surf the Internet using a standard internet connection of 56Kbps. For users that have higher bandwidth requirements, they could even subscribe to a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) that is provided by their local internet service provider. This DSL service has revolutionized increase the bandwidth of the user by approximately ten to twenty times from the normal 56Kbps connection. Innovation of technology has also changed the way of accessing the internet. Internet subscribers could even log on to the Internet wirelessly. However, access points to this type of Internet connection are limited to certain areas.