When you deal with an (ISP) Internet Service Provider you will normally be dealing through a company that has the ability to provide customers like you with good internet connectivity. These types of businesses are also called the Internet Access Provider and will in any case be actively involved in providing access to an internet connection which is done by having their own technologically advanced equipment that in turn makes it possible to transmit data reliably and efficiently.
There are a number of different types of technologies that can be used to facilitate internet connectivity and one is the dial up connection that however is no longer being used today. Other options include the DSL connection and also the cable modem - both of which are highly popular and being used quite widely.
An Internet Service Provider is able to provide the customer with their own unique email IDs that will improve the way that the customer communicates with others and this is made possible by sending as well as receiving messages with the help of the ISP's servers. There are also other services being offered by an ISP such as allowing the customer to use the ISP's storage devices to store important information. Furthermore, the ISP can also offer services that cater to specific user needs.
Even though the customer is paying an ISP for the internet connection the ISP at the same time may be paying another ISP to provide customers with internet access. There is thus a chain of ISPs that sell to the ISP that is downstream of them. The highest ISP on the chain will obviously have the biggest network.
In most cases the customer simply gets an individual connection from their ISP and in this way they are shielded from having to know how the ISP provides them internet connections. There is simply a cascade of ISPs that finally reach the topmost tier of ISPs.
There are also virtual internet service providers and in this case one Internet Service Provider will purchase some services from another one (often called a wholesale service provider) and this then allows customers on the virtual ISP network to gain internet access to all of the infrastructure that is owned by the wholesale ISP.
