What is Broadband Internet Service?

The term broadband commonly refers to high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than the traditional dial-up access. Broadband includes several high-speed transmission technologies such as: Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Cable Modem. Fiber.

Broadband Internet service truly is the most used form of Internet access because of its high access speeds; it is offered in four different forms, DSL (or Digital Subscriber Line), also fiber-optic, cable, and satellite. The old dial-up connection is the only non-broadband internet service available, and even though it is cheaper, most Internet users are moving towards the faster broadband Internet connection.

Broadband is the transmission of wide bandwidth data over a high speed internet connection.

So what is broadband? According to the FCC, the definition of broadband internet is a minimum of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. Broadband provides high speed internet access via multiple types of technologies including fiber optics, wireless, cable, DSL and satellite.

Is broadband and WiFi same?

Essentially WiFi is a wireless connection in your house or business, that connects your phone or computer to your modem/router, while Broadband is the actual internet connection that your modem/router uses to send and receive data from your house to the wider world.Aug 4, 2020

Why is it called broadband?

Broadband is a high-data-rate connection to the Internet. The technology gets its name as a result of the wide band of frequencies that isavailable for information transmission. Information can be multiplexed and sent on numerous channels, allowingmore information to be transmitted at a given time

FEATURES OF BROADBAND INTERNET

In general, however, the two defining characteristics of broadband are that it is high-speed and available at all times. Both of these characteristics serve to distinguish broadband from the older dial-up connections.

TYPES OF BROADBAND SERVICES

DSL

The DSL (or Digital Subscriber Line) internet service makes its connection by utilizing unused telephone wires that cause no interruption to your telephone service. The speed you experience with a DSL connection varies with your distance from the switching station. Your speed will be slower the further away you are and faster the closer you are to the switching station and this may be a deciding factor when you attempt to select between a DSL line and a cable connection.

Cable

The broadband cable connection is provided by the local cable TV provider. Here the cable Internet connection speed varies with the number of users on the service at a specific point in time. Given a specific geographical area, users of the broadband cable service share the connection bandwidth which slows the speed the more users are on the system. This will occur at the peak times for example late in the evenings after the work day is over when many people will be accessing the Internet. Somewhat misleadingly, often the cable company would estimate connection speeds that are based on the thinking that you are using the service. But that is clearly not the case.

Fiber-Optic

The newest broadband service is fiber-optic, which is the fastest Internet connection thus far. However, this type of Internet service is still in its infancy as its service areas are quite limited and because the laying down of the fiber-optic cable takes a while to complete. Wherever it is available, the cost not only competes with that of DSL and cable, but it provides a much faster connection than both of those services.

Satellite

The last and slowest broadband service is provided by satellite. Although this is a good replacement for dial-up for those people living in remote rural areas, the installation costs are quite high, but the ongoing monthly charges are competitive to both cable and DSL.

There are many advantages to the DSL and cable broadband service. It provides greater bandwidth than other Internet access forms, and that makes it easier for the computer user to multitask with several applications performing in the background while you surf the web. It is possible for you to surf the web while listening to audio.

The networking of computers in the home is made easier with a broadband connection, by either using wireless or wired modems.

The cost of broadband service is higher annually than the cheaper dial-up version by $100 to $500, but given the advantages and ease of a broadband connection, it is well worth the cost.

A broadband connection allows you to play many popular computer games that rely on a fast Internet connection.

Broadband connection, unlike the old dial-up internet connection, will not engage your phone line when in use. In fact, having a broadband connection makes it possible for you to obtain an Internet phone service so you will no longer need the traditional phone line at all.

Another great benefit of a broadband connection is that you are constantly connected to the Internet. You are quickly able to connect with your work’s intranet and email in a matter of seconds.

Many people considering between these broadband Internet service options generally narrow the search to the most popular services which are DSL and cable. A good approach when researching your options would be to ask those in the area you are considering, which service they are using and how it is working for them.

Even though cable broadband Internet service offers a speedy internet connection, this fast speed will not be realized if the connection itself cannot be relied on. For example, the cable connection you receive depends on the shared bandwidth, the number of users on the system at any time, and the latency on the network.

The bandwidth is just one factor that determines the Internet connection’s speed. It is a measure of the quantity of data that enters the network over a period of time, and is measured in bps, or bits per second. The greater the data flow, the better the network Internet connection. In broadband connections the supported data rates are generally 300 Kbps and higher, as opposed to the old dial-up maximum of 53Kbps.

Latency is another factor that affects the cable Internet connection’s speed. Latency refers to delays incurred in the network data processing. A network is described as low latency if it experiences only small delay times, and high latency if it suffers with long delays. When the latency becomes excessive, data transmission causes a bottleneck that prevents addition data from coming through and this effectively reduces cable’s Internet connection bandwidth. So even though the cable bandwidth of your Internet connection is set, its effectiveness can be reduced by bottlenecks of data and a high number of users on the system .

Again, with a broadband DSL connection, the connection speed of the Internet can be severely reduced by the distance a subscriber is located from the switching station. The further away the subscriber is from the switching station, the slower the Internet connection.

Once installed, a broadband connection is always on. The connection is maintained with the use of a cable or DSL modem. These connect the computer to the cable outlet on the wall, in the case of the cable internet connection; or the DSL modem to the phone line. Only when these connections become unplugged, will the Internet connection be lost.

Unlike the old dial-up service, you will not be dialing a specific phone number to gain access to the Internet. With a broadband service, access to the Internet is given by simply double clicking your Internet browser icon of choice (this is usually on your desktop – Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape etc.); your default web page will open and you can immediately start surfing the web. The whole process should take no more than about 10 to 15 seconds, depending on the computer’s speed itself and baring any issues of slowness.

The term broadband refers to high-speed internet access. Broadband is different from dial-up internet service for several reasons, including the following:

• Broadband service provides a higher-speed of data transmission.
• Broadband provides access to the highest quality internet services, such as videoconferencing for telehealth, that require large amounts of data transmission.
• Broadband access is constant. It does not block phone lines, and there is no need to reconnect each time you need to use the internet.

What broadband speed do I need?

Streaming HD videos, gaming and downloading large files eat up the most bandwidth. To achieve a virtually seamless experience with less lag, you may want to consider speed plans 100 Mbps and above. For all other activities like streaming music, surfing and video conferencing — anything above 25 Mbps should be enough. It all depends on how patient you are with potential buffering and slightly slower speeds when others at home are competing for bandwidth at the same time for their own activities.

Not sure how fast your broadband is? Use our speed test tool to see how your current provider compares to Fios.

Test your internet connection

Choosing a broadband internet provider

If you live in the city or suburbs, you’ll most likely have multiple broadband internet providers like fiber, cable and DSL to choose from.

To narrow down your search for the right internet service provider (ISP):

• Check availability at your home
• Determine how much bandwidth you need
• Compare plans, prices and speeds of a few ISPs in your area
• Choose a reliable provider that meets your needs

ADVANTAGES OF BROADBAND INTERNET CONNECTION

1. High speeds

2. Telephone line is not necessary

3. Your Internet connection stays active

4. Your phone line is open for telephone calls

Your main advantage associated with using a broadband connection (DSL or cable modem) is fast download speeds and the availability of huge streams of bandwidth. You can expect between 2-25 Mbps when using a broadband connection for your online training programs, depending on the amount of congestion on the line and your distance from a base station. Lighting fast download speeds allow you to complete online training programs using streaming video and interactive online applications without hassle or delays. To use a broadband connection, a landline is not necessary to connect to your ISP. This allows your phone line to be left open to receive important phone calls from your friends or family throughout the day or night. Another advantage associated with a broadband connection is the fact that your Internet connection can be left on for extended periods of time. Precious time you spend connecting to the Internet and annoying busy signals are avoided using broadband solutions.

Why Broadband is Important

Broadband is important for rural health care providers interested in meaningfully using electronic health records, as many of the capabilities of health IT, such as telehealth and electronic exchange of health care information, require broadband capability.

Accessing Broadband

Broadband providers can be local telephone companies or other providers of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and fiber connections, a cable company for cable modem, a wireless or satellite company for wireless broadband, or an electrical utility for Broadband over Power Line (BPL).