What is Broadband?
Broadband describes any physical network connection that can carry multiple types of signals at the same time. When referring to broadband, the technologies include coaxial cable, fiber optic cable or Digital Subscriber Line technologies.
Broadband technologies have the capacity to carry information and data so video, voice and large amounts of data (like computer files) can move across a single cable at the same time. This capacity makes it possible for many users of a single connection to enjoy a television show, play video games and browse the Internet all at the same time.
Do you have broadband at home or work?
Chances are you already have a broadband connection to your home or office from your Internet Service Provider, which is probably a cable or phone company. Cable and phone companies have typically been the companies that install wired connections to homes and workplaces. Cable companies install a coaxial cable that is used for your television connection while telephone companies, which used provide wires called “twisted pair” for telephone lines, now use fiber optic cable.
AT&T calls their fiber optic connection U-Verse while Verizon refers to their fiber connection as FIOS. Compared to twisted pair wiring, fiber optic has a significantly larger capacity for data and information. Coaxial wire, which is what is used to carry television signals, always had the capacity to carry large amounts of information such as a television signal, so cable companies have used technologies that allow the same cable to carry data for your Internet connection.
What kind of signals does broadband carry?
Broadband doesn't describe a specific capacity or type of signal for a connection, just the type of physical connection so homes with the same type of physical broadband connection could have different capabilities. Let's look at a few examples.
One home, home “A,” has a fiber optic broadband connection from a phone company and another home, home “B,” has a coaxial broadband connection from their cable company. Home A uses their broadband connection for a phone number and Internet access but subscribes to television through a satellite provider. Home B with a cable broadband connection uses the service for television and Internet and uses the local phone company for a home telephone line.
I this sounds familiar, it's because the lines have blurred for where you obtain your services as a result of broadband connections to the home. You can usually obtain your choice of telephone service, television service and Internet service from any company that runs a broadband connection to your home.
There is one exception, however, and that's Digital Subscriber Line broadband technology, also known as DSL. DSL was used by the telephone companies to carry a digital signal over a standard telephone wire. Using DSL technology allowed telephone companies to use their existing twister-pair wires to carry both voice and data on the same line. However, DSL capacity is a little too slow for video or television signals, so DSL use has been declining as a type of broadband connection, and many telephone companies are investing in fiber optic cable connections.
When a broadband connection provides your Internet access, the company that's providing your connection uses a pricing arrangement where you'll typically pay for a maximum data capacity. Often the minimum capacity you can purchase is more than sufficient for downloading videos for a single user but as more people start to share the connection and use it for browsing the Internet and accessing large files on Internet services like Netflix or YouTube, the minimum capacity may not be sufficient and you might have to purchase a higher capacity service tier.
Your Internet data and your television signal are carried on the same wire, but your Internet use doesn't affect your ability to watch television since the signal is a video signal and not data. The broadband connection is capable of keeping the Internet data, television video signal and if needed, a voice phone call all separate and independent. That's the power of broadband.
What about cellular compared to broadband?
Broadband typically refers to physical wired connections, with fiber optic and coaxial being the most widely used broadband technologies. Wireless networks provided by cellular companies are always increasing their speed for a wireless phone connection and with a fast enough wireless signal it's possible to watch video from Netflix or YouTube and download or play music from a variety of music services.
If you have a fast enough wireless connection, you could use that for your home Internet service, but it tends to be priced not by speed but by usage, whereas broadband Internet connections to your home (or business) are priced based on the maximum speed you purchase and don't charge you for how much data you use. That's why people usually have broadband at home since there aren't any usage charges, and the services are billed at a flat monthly rate.
To my way of thinking
Broadband is a great service for a home or business with fast Internet speeds, television broadcasts and telephone service all available from one cable connection. It's possible to mix and match and use different providers for different services, and it pays to compare prices and features every so often to see if you're getting the best price possible. Most people no longer have the older “dial-up” type of Internet connection that used the old twisted-pair telephone wires and if you install almost any type of telephone service today, chances are it will run over a broadband connection to your home.
Certain locations are simply not receiving broadband service if they are too far away from a cable or telephone facility and people located in these areas may be limited to the lower speed DSL types of connections or a satellite Internet connection.
Keep in mind that you can mix and match services from different providers and use options from your cellular company. In fact, many people don't have a home “land-line” telephone and rely exclusively on their cellular phone. Explore these options and pricing to see if bundles and discounts are available for switching or signing up for a contract term and evaluate your pricing options every year to see if you can receive more features, options, or lower pricing, especially if your needs for phone, Internet and television service change.
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