The World Wide Web (www), or internet, is a network of computers that are connected together. Your computer is one of them, when connected to the internet. Everything you do or see on the internet comes from other computers, called servers, that you connect to automatically. For example, to see the website of CNN, your computer instantly connects to a computer at the CNN offices in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and downloads the data that it finds at the CNN website.

This connection happens over a large network of stations that are routed by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). For example, for you to see the page of CNN, the connection of your computer may be routed through Milano, Frankfurt, Washington and Georgia, just like a telephone does.

When your computer "finds" the computer at CNN, the two computers exchange information in order to allow you to see the data. While ytou are viewing the CNN website, your computer is actually connected, via exchanging data signals, with the CNN server computer in Atlanta, in the USA.

Your computer asks for data, and the CNN computer sends the data to your computer in a "download. Your computer and the CNN computer constantly communicate between them, as the page is loading. Your computer is sending information to the CNN computer about what it is downloading, by uploading the data it needs to communicate directly to the CNN computer. (continued to the right)

The Internet Service Proveder does not give you equal download and upload speed. In the case of Mynetway, the Wireless Internet Service Provider that is being considered by our City Hall, the cheapest plan, for €24,90 per month, gives you a nominal upload speed of 256000 (256 kbps) and a download speed of 2000000 (2000Kbps. or 2 Mbps)

That means that for €24,90 per month, your download speed will be almost 8 times slower than your upload speed. For an upload speed of 1 Mbps, only half the speed of your download, you would need the most expensive plan of 59 Euro +IVA per month.

The download speed makes a great difference in your internet usage experience. As your computer communicates back and forth with the internet, if the incoming information is much faster than the outgoing information, it is more possible that the signal may miss a step and provide for an overall slower experience. Also, sending large files via email or to other users will be done at the spped of upload, greatly increasing your action time. (continued below)