The Internet is the worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web

 

• The Internet is defined as a network of networks.
  
• The first letter , " I ", is always a capital letter
  
• It is a huge resource and no one owns it as a private property
  
• By connecting computers, we can communicate and share resources of computers

Communication System
The Internet has unlimited number of services. These services can be offered simultaneously based on the users demand. Applications which run at computers connected to the Internet can provide these different services.
Examples:

• Email
  
• Instant messaging 
  
• Discussion forums (forums, newsgroups etc...)

Information Retrieval System
Information can be sent from one computer to any other 24 hours a day.
Resources for Information Retrieval
Websites /Home pages of organisations or individuals (www.cnn.com)
Search Engines. (www.google.com )
Books or reports (www.amazon.com )
Repositories of software applications (www.tucows.com)

Who Pays for the Internet?
Do you have to pay for the Internet Access? There is no single owner for the Internet. But, networks should be developed and maintained by the providers. Internet Service Providers or ISP has to charge individuals/organizations.

Two types of fees: for access time, for Internet connectivity