Broadband – What is it?
The term 'broadband' refers to an advanced
telecommunication service that developed from a need for
greater amounts of information to be transmitted across
the Internet.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines
broadband in terms of speed.
The current standard specifies at least 25 megabits per
second (Mbps) downloading and 3 Mbps uploading.
In essence broadband is a service that enables reliable,
high-speed transfer of data, voice and video over the
Internet.
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In the 1990s, the only option to use the Internet was through a
dial-up connection using your home phone line and a modem, but
the technologies have changed and evolved.
As interest and as Internet applications grew, solutions were
needed to meet the demands for greater data transmission.
Broadband connectivity is a foundation for economic growth, job
creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life.
It enables entirely new industries and unlocks vast new
possibilities for existing industries.
Broadband is changing how we educate children, deliver health
care, ensure public safety, engage government, and access,
organize and disseminate knowledge in communities.
Types of Broadband Connections
The most common types of broadband carriers include:
(1) cable using coaxial cable line originally used for television
signals;
(2) DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) which is carried along phone
lines;
(3) fiber-optic cable;
(4) mobile broadband through 3G and 4G mobile reception
and (5) satellite transmission.
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This list of broadband services includes a variety of wired and
wireless technologies, each of which offers unique advantages in
speed and capacity, reliability and affordability.
All providers of such broadband connections are called Internet
Service Providers (ISPs).
Wired, or fixed, broadband services (DSL, cable, fiber, etc.) tend
to be faster than wireless alternatives, but often are not
deployed to geographically remote areas.
Wireless broadband networks, which can be accessed via cell
phones, satellite, and Wi-Fi signals, provide advantages in
mobility, convenience, and sometimes cost.
Table 1 presents some comparisons.
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Fixed Broadband Networks
• Cable Broadband –
Cable broadband uses coaxial cable that connects to your
computer through a modem to transmit data. Coaxial cable was
originally designed for transmitting television signals, and it has
far less signal deterioration and much faster broadband speeds
compared to telephone lines.
Another advantage of cable is its capacity to handle a greater
volume of audio and visual signals. This capability allows you to
get your phone and digital TV as well as Internet connection
services from your cable broadband provider.
Cable is either buried underground or uses same utility poles
already in place for your telephone and electricity.
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DSL Broadband –
DSL is a wireline transmission technology which allows faster data
transmission through existing copper telephone lines already
available to homes and businesses.
DSL broadband comes from your local telephone company (i.e.,
ISP).
Since the signal deterioration is relatively greater through
telephone lines than other technologies, the distance of one’s
home to the local ISP hub could influence DSL broadband speed.
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Fiber Optic Broadband –
Fiber optic technology uses glass polymer fibers for data
transmission.
This technology converts electrical signals to light, which is sent
through transparent glass fibers.
It enables significantly faster data transmission over greater
distances compared to other broadband technologies.
Due to the fact that the transmission material is glass, which
cannot generate electricity, fiber optic broadband is immune to
interference, and this minimizes data deterioration.
Other wireline services such as cable broadband often
incorporate fiber into some portion of their infrastructure.
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Wireless Broadband Networks
• Mobile Broadband –
Mobile broadband is transmitted over mobile phone networks
and requires no physical cable connection for end users.
Users are able to get online wherever there is a mobile phone
signal.
3G and 4G mobile broadband (refers to the 3rd and 4th
generation of mobile phone standards) enables devices such
as mobile phones to deliver high speed Internet.
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Satellite Broadband –
Satellite broadband uses satellites in orbit to transmit data using
radio waves.
Satellite data transmission depends on the location of a
particular satellite picking up the signal, so it may be slow and is
often expensive.
However, it can be useful for remote areas that do not have an
appropriate infrastructure in place to support other types of
broadband.
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Fixed Wireless –
Fixed wireless requires consumer’s receivers to be within the
line of sight for a service tower, which can range from a silo to
a cell phone tower.
Service towers disseminate wireless Internet signals in the
form of radio waves to substantially large coverage areas.
This makes fixed wireless a flexible option for rural areas that
have only few wired Internet connection options and that can
support line-of-sight services.
The speeds for fixed wireless vary greatly but seem to average
around 10 Mbps.
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TABLE 1. MAJOR ISPS & SPEED BY BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY
Type Major ISPs* Median Note
Download/Upload
DSL • AT&T Internet 11.4/1.3 Mbp •Works on traditional
• CenturyLink telephone line
• Verizon
• Frontier
Communications
Cable • XFINITY from Comcast 52.3/7.1 Mbps •Works on buried or aerial coaxial
• Charter Spectrum cable
• Cox Communications • Most popular broadband type in
• Optimum by Cablevision U.S.
Fiber • Verizon Fios 52.2/54.6 Mbps •Uses glass fibers
• AT&T Fiber • Electric signal converted to light
• Frontier • Minimizes data
Communications deterioration
• CenturyLink
• Google Fiber
Mobile • AT&T Wireless 22.7/8.5 Mbps† •Transmitted via mobile phone
• Verizon Wireless networks and spectrum
• Sprint • No physical cable needed from
• T-Mobile end-user
Satellite • HughesNet 10.7/2.9 Mbps •Slower speeds, but substantially
• Viasat Internet wide range of coverage 11
• Mostly used in rural areas
The Need for Speed
Understanding Internet Speed & Data Caps
The speed of broadband Internet is measured in megabits per
second (Mbps).
A bit is the smallest unit of processable information, and 8 bits
constitute 1 Byte. From an end users’ perspective, these two can
cause confusion as ‘bit’ is commonly used to depict ‘speed’ while
Byte is typically used to depict ‘size’ of a file.
Typically, ISPs provide information about both speed and volume
of data transfers available with a service plan
(i.e., amount of data available for a month).
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Download Speed & Upload Speed
When using the Internet, there are two streams of data flow:
(1) download and (2) upload.
Download speed is the pace at which data (e.g., websites,
programs, music, film, etc.) are transferred from another
source to your device. On the other hand, upload speed is the
speed at which data are transmitted to other computers or
servers (e.g., speed when uploading a video on YouTube, a
picture on Instagram, etc.) from you.
The FCC standard defines broadband service as an Internet
connection service that provides at least 25 Mbps of download
speed and 3 Mbps of upload speed.
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Broadband Uses
Broadband Usage Domains
Broadband technologies continuously improve the amount,
diversity, and speed of data communicated through our network
infrastructures.
In our contemporary broadband environment, massive amounts
of data in diverse forms (e.g., audio, video, text, etc.) can be
communicated simultaneously in nearly real-time.
Such capabilities have been implemented by and have become
pivotal aspects not only to general consumers, but also to many
industries such as:
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• Telemedicine
• Teleworking
• E-Government
• Agriculture
• Distance Learning
• Public Safety – Emergency response, Public service messages
• National Security
• Small Business Assistance – Economic growth, New industry
creation
• Tourism
• E-Commerce
• Entertainment
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Benefits of Broadband
Benefits for Overall Society
Broadband allows faster and wider dissemination of knowledge
and information. It improves efficiency and effectiveness of
many industries through enhanced data and software
communication capabilities.
Furthermore, it opens up opportunities for new entrepreneurial
ventures, consequently contributing to economic growth.
Governments around the world increasingly view broadband as
the “fourth utility” alongside water, heating and electricity, and
the United Nations even declared access to broadband to be a
human right.
For example, several countries such as Finland, Estonia, and
Spain declared broadband access to be a legal right.
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