Editing Internet access (section)

{{Short description|Individual connection to the Internet}}
{{redirect|Internet connection|the song|Internet Connection}}
{{Update|reason=Many statistics are outdated; the article makes little mention of modern applications of Internet access (e.g. video streaming)|date=June 2023}}
{{Internet|expanded=General}}

'''Internet access''' is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a [[computer network]], or other network device to the [[Internet]], and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as [[email]] and the [[World Wide Web]]. Internet access is offered for sale by an international hierarchy of [[Internet service provider]]s (ISPs) using various networking technologies. At the retail level, many organizations, including municipal entities, also provide cost-free access to the general public. Types of connections range from [[fixed-line]] cable (such as [[DSL]] and [[fiber optic]]) to [[Mobile broadband|mobile]] (via [[Cellular network|cellular]]) and [[Satellite Internet access|satellite]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Connection Types Explained |url=https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/internet-connection-types/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref>

The availability of Internet access to the general public began with the commercialization of the early Internet in the early 1990s, and has grown with the availability of useful applications, such as the World Wide Web. In 1995, only {{val|.04}} percent of the world's population had access, with well over half of those living in the United States <ref>{{Cite book|title=The world transformed : 1945 to the present|last=Robinson|first=Zachary A.|isbn=9780199371020|pages=431|oclc=907585907|date = 2015-06-26|publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> and consumer use was through [[dial-up Internet access|dial-up]]. By the first decade of the 21st century, many consumers in developed nations used faster [[broadband]] technology. By 2014, 41 percent of the world's population had access,<ref>{{Cite book|title=The world transformed : 1945 to the present|last=Robinson|first=Zachary A.|isbn=9780199371020|pages=431–432|oclc=907585907|date = 2015-06-26|publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> broadband was almost ubiquitous worldwide, and global average connection speeds exceeded one megabit per second.<ref>{{cite web |title=Akamai Releases Second Quarter 2014 'State of the Internet' Report |url=http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2014/press-093014.html |work=Akamai |date=30 September 2014 |access-date=11 October 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020060839/http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2014/press-093014.html |archive-date=20 October 2014 }}</ref>