<
networking, company> (IAP) A company or other origanisation
which provides access to the
Internet to businesses and/or
consumers. An IAP purchases an Internet link from another
company that has a direct link to the Internet and resells
portions of that
bandwidth to the general public.
For example, an IAP may purchase a
T1 link (1.544Mb/s) and
resell that bandwidth in chunks consisting of
ISDN (64Kb/s,
128Kb/s) and analog
modems (14.4Kb/s, 28.8Kb/s). The IAP's
customer base is likely to include both businesses and
individuals. Individual customers usually connect to the IAP
via a modem and telephone line to a (preferably local) {point
of presence}.
An IAP may also be an
Internet Service Provider.
(1996-06-25)