What is an Internet Gateway Provider (IGP)?
Internet Gateway Providers are as the name suggests, they are the gatekeepers for access to the Backbone Network Services (BNS Fiber optic Bundle). They have paid ICANN for and agree to maintain a gateway (door) to the BNS. These types of businesses usually sell access to the BNS to the really large companies that need very high speed broadband connections to the W3. This service is extremely expensive, both, to get into, and to maintain. What is an Internet Router (IR)? An Internet Router is like the smartest traffic cop in the world. The router literally reads the address that you are requesting and then routes your data (e-mail, requests and replies) over the BNS in the most expeditious (path of least resistance) manor. It actually can break up the data into multiple packets (portions) and send each packet of the data to the directed address on a different path (route). Since, when it does this, it assigns sequential numbers to the packets (portion, piece, envelope) the receiving ma
