High Speed Broadband – The Technology Behind The New Internet
Article by Rachel Tusker
The internet is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of our times and has revolutionised the way we communicate, educate and entertain ourselves. However, since the advent of this amazing communication tool, users have been struggling with the slow speed and other problems associated with their dial-up connections while accessing the internet. Nothing could be more annoying and frustrating to home users and businesses than the snail-paced, download speed of their traditional dial-up connections. With the growing demand of millions of current and new internet users for wider bandwidth and faster download speed, it was only a matter of time before new technologies would emerge.
Over the past few years a virtual revolution has taken place with the development of new technologies which have given users the luxury of wider bandwidth and high speed broadband that now offer virtually instant internet access, like never before. Conspicuous among the new technologies that offer high speed broadband internet access are DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), Wireless (Satellite), Cable and T1 lines. However, speed thresholds, subscription costs, installation, hardware, service and availability of each connection differs from technology to technology, user location to user location and even country to country.
There are some, among the numerous people, who are intending to invest in an internet connection but may not be fully aware of the difference between dial-up and broadband connections. Although both systems involve the use of modems and in some cases, connect via telephone lines, the two key differences between broadband and traditional dial-up connections are speed and connectivity. With broadband, your computer is continuously hooked to the internet, whereas, with dial-up, you access the internet each time you wish to use it. Moreover, broadband has a far swifter speed than a dial-up connection. A dial-up connection can also take a long time to load web pages, download files or even to look at pictures. In comparison, a user can view pictures, websites or download files almost instantly with a broadband connection.
Insofar as speed for transmission of data, a dial-up connection, despite using a speed modem can deliver a maximum of 56 kbps. On the other hand, the advance technology of broadband permits a substantial amount of information that is processed simultaneously at a far swifter rate than a dial-up connection. In a comparative broadband speed test, T1 lines have recorded speed thresholds of up to 1.5 mbps, while cable modems have recorded speeds of up to 4 times faster than the T1 line. ADSL download speed, although, dependant on location and distance from primary router, has recorded speed thresholds ranging from 256 kbps or up to 8 mbps. In the final analysis even at its slowest rate, a broadband connection has proved to be a minimum of 10 times faster than a dial-up connection.
To the internet user at home or the businessman at work, time is indeed money. With faster download speed, industries, businesses and even small home business entrepreneurs are adding to their bottom line profits and collectively, this has a direct bearing on the health of a nation’s economy. Broadband connections are here to stay and the sooner you invest in one, the better for you.
About the Author
Rachel is an expect on the UK broadband and telecoms industry including technical developments in broadband and also the products offered by broadband and telecoms providers. She also advised in the creation of the broadband comparison service and the cheap international calls service.