Broadband internet is a term used commonly for just any kind of fast internet speed (in reference to the conventional slow dial up connection). It is called broadband because of the broad range of frequencies available to transmit data. The broad range in effect means a wider spectrum is available to send information at a given time and hence the speed is higher as well.
Broadband Internet is a term used commonly for just any kind of fast Internet speed (in reference to the conventional slow dial up connection). It is called broadband because of the broad range of frequencies available to transmit data. The broad range in effect means a wider spectrum is available to send information at a given time and hence the speed is higher as well.
Several organizations have made attempts to standardize the definition of broadband, e.g. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) defines Internet speeds of 200 Kbits/sec is one direction as broadband while the OECD (Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development) has put the minimum speed criteria at 256 Kbits/sec at least in one direction. However, in the common colloquial usage broadband remains just anything with connectivity significantly faster than dial up connections.
Some of the main features of Broadband are:
• Typical speed ranges from 128 Kbps to 30 Mbps
• Unlike dial-up, the connection is always on
• Does not tie up a phone line and calls can be received while browsing the net
• Generally a flat monthly fee is paid unlike dial up where the cost of the connection depends on the duration of Internet usage
• No dial up for connection is required and in most cases the connection is available as soon as computer is turned on
There are different types of broadband connections in use, all using different technologies. We will look into each of these technologies of broadband in more detail.