ISP proxy

Definition

An ISP proxy (also called "static residential") is a datacenter-hosted IP address that announces under a residential ISP's Autonomous System Number. From the target's perspective, the ASN lookup returns a real residential carrier (Comcast, Spectrum, Deutsche Telekom, BT, etc.). From the operator's perspective, the IP lives in a cloud datacenter, with cloud- grade reliability and bandwidth.

Why ISP is a distinct class

ISP sits on a specific point of the proxy tradeoff curve that neither pure datacenter nor pure residential covers:

• Latency: datacenter-class (~10-30ms added)
• ASN classification: residential-class (not "cloud")
• Rotation: static (IP stays assigned for the subscription)
• Bandwidth: datacenter-class (no peer-side cap)

This combination is exactly right for AI workloads that need session continuity plus residential ASN authenticity.

When ISP is the right choice

Four specific AI workload shapes:

1. Multi-turn agent evaluation. Claude Computer Use, ChatGPT Operator, and agent benchmarks that hold session state across 20-50 turns need IP stability.

2. Authenticated RAG ingestion. Notion public exports, Confluence, enterprise wikis that maintain session-cookied rate limits.

3. Sustained HuggingFace dataset pulls. HF's LFS backend expects the same origin to resume a partial download.

4. Long-session academic scraping. OpenReview, university portals that trust residential-ASN traffic but want stable session.

Sticky-by-default

Unlike residential (which is rotating by default, sticky by configuration), ISP is static by default — the IP stays assigned for the lifetime of the subscription. That's not a feature; it's the class's defining characteristic.

Related

• ISP proxy class (product page)
• Residential proxy glossary entry
• Datacenter proxy glossary entry
• Sticky session glossary entry
• Proxies for AI browser agents