What is broadband?

What is broadband?
The term broadband commonly refers to high-speed Internet access. The FCC defines broadband service as data transmission speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (Kbps), or 200,000 bits per second, in at least one direction: downstream (from the Internet to the user’s computer) or upstream (from the user’s computer to the Internet).

How is broadband different from DIAL-UP service?
-Broadband service provides higher speed of data transmission—Allows more content to be carried through the transmission “pipeline.”Broadband provides access to the highest quality Internet services—streaming media, VoIP (Internet phone), gaming, and interactive services. Many of these current and newly developing services require the transfer of large amounts of data which may not be technically feasible with dial-up service. Therefore, -broadband service may be increasingly necessary to access the full range of services and opportunities that the Internet can offer.

-Broadband is always on—Does not block phone lines and no need to reconnect to network after logging off.

-Less delay in transmission of content when using broadband.

What are the benefits of broadband?
It's fast ... generally 10-20 times faster than your existing dial-up modem. A typical dial-up modem operates at either 28.8 kbit/s or 56 kbit/s. A broadband connection operates at between 256 kbit/s and 10 Mbit/s, depending on the service you have selected.

To give you an idea of the difference that this speed can make, a 3.5 minute MP3 music file takes about 18 minutes to download using a 28.8 kbit/s dial-up modem but only about 21 seconds on a 1.5 Mbit/s broadband link. An e-mail containing a family photo takes about 55 seconds at 28.8 kbit/s but only about three seconds on a 512 kbit/s link.Broadband's high speed gives you access to applications that are either not feasible at the speed of a dial-up connection or just annoyingly slow.Broadband can allow you to transfer large files of text or graphics at high speeds give you instant access to webpages, even those with large amounts of graphics that are typically very slow to download on a dial-up connection; allow employees to telecommute, operating from their home or elsewhere with the same response speeds and level of security as if they were in their office; link several computers to the Internet through the same connection; make videoconferencing faster, smoother and more practical; save money by allowing a business to rationalise and centralise its servers.

It's always on. As long as your computer is switched on, you can be connected to the Internet. This means that you do not waste time dialling up and waiting for your modem to connect you to the Internet every time you go online. You will not be subject to annoying busy signals and your connection is unlikely to drop out. Your phone line is not tied up while using the Internet. Therefore there is no need to pay for a second phone line. There are no additional dial-up charges to connect each time you use the service.

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