A system for providing access to the internet, comprises a network of routers (R) hereinafter designated “new routers”) wherein each new router (R) has a CPU (112) that has, or is associated with, a public area (142) that allows simultaneous access to the new router's CPU by more than one user account. The system is so arranged that a pre-registered user with a user account identified by an identifier, typically a user name and/or password, can access the internet from any new router (R) in the network by connecting to the public area (142) of the new router's CPU (112) and entering the account identifier of the pre-registered user account.