Each type of host contributes to the creation of value for the client because it facilitates Internet access.

Hosting a Website is usually done by an external provider, although it is possible for a company to host its own site in-house, on condition that its internal network is permanently connected to Internet. Setting up and managing a permanent link is costly, and presupposes the existence of an technically competent specialist backup team, in particular as far as security is concerned. This scenario is only justified in the case of commercial Website receiving a large number of online orders, so that the company can be sure of complete control and confidentiality of its customer and product data bases. It's worth noting that methods other than the Web will be used in the future for electronic commerce (notably electronic messages and push technology).

As soon as the content is put onto a Web server, the Internet operators and access providers send the data to the final user. A simple service provider does not represent a high added value, but some, such as France Telecom's Wanadoo, AOL, or Club Internet use their privileged contact with their subscribers (France Telecom's subscribers numbered 600,00 in February 1998 and will reach a million for the turn of the century) to position themselves as an Internet entry point and developing an extensive editorial content (which represents 30 million pages visited each month). They take advantage of this high volume of traffic as their connection kits are programmed to launch their own Website's home page(http://www.wanadoo.fr for example) each time their subscribers connect to the Web, enabling them to act as a first-choice intermediary in the context of electronic commerce.

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