BROADBAND

By Emily Midwinter

WHAT BROADBAND IS

Broadband is high-speed data transmission in which

a single cable can carry a large amount of data at

once. The most common types of Internet broadband

connections are cable modems (which use the same

connection as cable TV) and DSL modems (which use

your existing phone line).

Because of its multiple channel capacity, broadband

has started to replace baseband, the single-channel

technology originally used in most computer

networks.

ADVANTAGES The connection speed is almost 100 times faster than

dial up (you can get up to 100mb a month)

There is always connection to the internet

You get high quality internet and phone lines for a

reasonable price via VolP

You get unlimited access without being charged for the

duration that you use it

It does not affect your phone line as you can use them

both at the same time.

It is easily accessible so that you can do a lot at once

DISADVANTAGES

The fee is a lot more than the dial up fee was

There is a higher security risk as you need a firewall to protect

your PC

Not all cable TV networks are equipped for cable internet access

There is a lot of piracy by people not paying for downloading

music and movies.

High street stores are loosing money and becoming less popular

STATISTICSBroadband Speed Typical Speed

Up to 10Mb 9.67Mb

Up to 20Mb 19.39Mb

Up to 30Mb 30.66Mb

Up to 50Mb 49.78Mb

Up to 60Mb 60.62Mb

Up to 100Mb 92.98Mb

Source: Virgin Media Broadband Performance Panel powered by SamKnows, the broadband performance monitoring specialists November 2012).

Typical speeds are recorded with a standard ethernet cable.

FIBRE OPTIC BROADBAND

This is a broadband internet connection using

fibre optic cables to transfer data. It is typically

faster than data transferred via a telephone

modem or dialup connection.

http://business.bt.com/glossary/broadband/

4G BROADBANDThe UK has at last caught up with the rest of the world and

now has a high-speed mobile broadband network which can do

more than load web pages at 1995 dial-up speeds; EE’s 4G

service has gone live and is promising home broadband speeds

on a mobile phone.

EE covers: London, Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield,

Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Southampton

and Liverpool. By the end of the year this will be expanded to

Hull, Belfast, Nottingham, Newcastle and Derby.

Some 4G devices are: Apple iPhone 5,Samsung Galaxy S3,

XL, Nokia Lumia 820 and the Samsung Galaxy Note. 2.