from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
Internet Access Provider
IAP
provider
<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)