do packets still use TCP/IP to transfer?  Yes. Though you could use UDP depending on what you're attempting to do.  If packets are simply bits and bytes, is it theoretically possible for them to be transported a different way than through an ISP?  Yes. If you're old enough to remember dial-up Internet then you should know those bits and bytes can be transported as sound as well. Anyway, packets are a higher abstract concept. What gets transported are light beams (fiber optics), electricity (cablemodem), electromagnetic waves (cell phones) and so on. Those things usually undergo several transformations before becoming packets once again on the other end. See the OSI model for a better understanding of the whole mess.