Broadband Access technologies provide high speed, always on communication between homes and businesses with the Internet. The minimum speed for a broadband is 128 Kbps . Broadband access technologies enable data, voice, video and other multimedia communication practical for homes and businesses. Several rival technologies are competing to deliver broadband connections to consumer's homes. We provide an outline of those technologies in this article.
Key Broadband Access Technologies
- Cable: The network architecture deployed by cable companies to deliver broadband access connections is based on a network configuration of fiber-optic and coaxial cable, also known as hybrid fiber-coax (HFC). Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) is the key protocols for the broadband data communication over cable.
- ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network is one of the oldest broadband access technology using circuit switching. There are two main ISDN variants, Basic Rate ISDN (BRI), and Primary Rate ISDN (PRI). BRI service , delivered over a single twisted pair , provides two B channels and one 16 Kbps D channel. PR I service consists of 23 B channels in North America plus a single D channel running at 64 Kbps, yielding a total bit rate of 1.544 Mbps. In Europe and other parts of the world, PRI provide s 30 B channels and one 64 Kbps D channel. This gives a total interface rate of 2.048 Mbps.
- xDSL: Digital Subscriber Line Technologies Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). DSL carries voice, video, and data at multi-megabit speeds over standard telephone wires. DSL services can achieve much higher bit rates than traditional analog modems. Depending on the exact type of DSL service being used, bit rates from about 1.5 Mbps to 51 Mbps can be achieved. The family of DSL services is collectively referred to as xDSL, where x refers to the different types of DSL technologiesADSL, HDSL, SDSL, and VDSL
- WiMax: Wireless Metropolitan Access Protocol (IEEE 802.16) provides a communications path between a subscriber site and a core network such as the public telephone network and the Internet. This wireless broadband access standard provides the missing link for the "last mile" connection in metropolitan area networks where DSL, Cable and other broadband access methods are not available or too expensive.
- Fixed wireless technologiesLocal multipoint distribution system (LMDS), multichannel multipoint distribution system (MMDS) and digital electronic messaging service (DEMS)
- Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) provides consumers with a range of high-speed Internet access services. A DBS system comprises of a mini dish that connects your in-home network to satellites located about 35,000 KM above the surface of the earth. These satellites have the ability to deliver multimedia data at speeds in excess of 45 Mbps. This speed can only be achieved when downloading content from the Internet to your in-home network. To upload or send information to the Internet, you need to use a slow telephone connection.
Broadband Access Technologies
Related Terms: xDSL, WiMAX, DOCSIS, ISDN, Fixed Wireless, Direct Broadcast Satellite