Broadband Technologies and Services

-Ritika Mital
A1607108137
B.Tech (E&T), IIIrd yr.

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Broadband Technologies I. Multilinking Modems II. ISDN III. T-1/DS1 IV. Wired Ethernet V. Rural Broadband VI. Satellite Internet VII. Mobile Broadband VIII. Power line Communication IX. DSL X. Wireless ISP

3. Broadband Services I. In Telecommunication System II. In Data Communication

4. Bibliography
5. Appendix
Introduction

Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just broadband, is a high data rate Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56k modem.
Dial-up modems are limited to a bitrate of less than 56 kbit/s (kilobits per second) and require the full use of a telephone line—whereas broadband technologies supply more than double this rate and generally without disrupting telephone use.
Although various minimum bandwidths have been used in definitions of broadband, ranging up from 64 kbit/s up to 2.0 Mbit/s, the 2006 OECD report is typical by defining broadband as having download data transfer rates equal to or faster than 256 kbit/s, while the United States (US) Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as of 2009, defines "Basic Broadband" as data transmission speeds exceeding 768 kilobits per second (Kbps), or 768,000 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). The trend is to raise the threshold of the broadband definition as the marketplace rolls out faster services.
There are many different technologies that enable broadband connection speeds. The most mainstream of these include fiber, cable, DSL, mobile broadband, WiMax, and satellite (see descriptions below). The competition among these technologies to offer broadband internet service exists primarily in providing "last mile" service, because the major long distance wires that comprise the Internet backbone around the world are primarily made out of optical fiber. Some of these "last mile" technologies are poised to grow in adoption while others won't be able to compete in the long run primarily due to speed barriers. The ultimate goal for broadband providers today is to be able to offer voice, data, and video over one network which is known as a "triple play." Some companies are well positioned to do this, while others are not. Here's a look at these differing broadband technologies and the companies that will either win or lose the broadband services race.

Broadband Technologies

The standard broadband technologies in most areas are ADSL and cable internet. Newer technologies in use include VDSL and pushing optical fiber connections closer to the subscriber in both telephone and cable plants. Fiber-optic communication, while only recently being used in fiber to the premises and fiber to the curb schemes, has played a crucial role in enabling Broadband Internet access by making transmission of information over larger distances much more cost-effective than copper wire technology.

Multilinking Modems

Roughly double the dial-up rate can be achieved with multilinking technology. What is required are two modems, two phone lines, two dial-up accounts, and ISP support for multilinking, or special software at the user end. This inverse multiplexing option was popular with some high-end users before ISDN, DSL and other technologies became available.
Diamond and other vendors had created dual phone line modems with bonding capability. The data rate of dual line modems is faster than 90 kbit/s. The Internet and phone charge will be twice the ordinary dial-up charge.
Load balancing takes two Internet connections and feeds them into your network as one double data rate, more resilient Internet connection. By choosing two independent Internet providers the load balancing hardware will automatically use the line with least load which means should one line fail, the second one automatically takes up the slack.

ISDN

Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) is one of the oldest broadband digital access methods for consumers and businesses to connect to the Internet. It is a telephone data service standard. Broadband service is usually compared to ISDN-BRI because this was the standard broadband access technology that formed a baseline for the challenges faced by the early broadband providers .
A basic rate ISDN line (known as ISDN-BRI) is an ISDN line with 2 data "bearer" channels (DS0 - 64 kbit/s each). Using ISDN terminal adapters (erroneously called modems), it is possible to bond together 2 or more separate ISDN-BRI lines to reach bandwidths of 256 kbit/s or more. The ISDN channel bonding technology has been used for video conference applications and broadband data transmission.
Primary rate ISDN, known as ISDN-PRI, is an ISDN line with 23 DS0 channels and total bandwidth of 1,544 kbit/s (US standard). ISDN E1 (European standard) line is an ISDN lines with 30 DS0 channels and total bandwidth of 2,048 kbit/s. Because ISDN is a telephone-based product, a lot of the terminology and physical aspects of the line are shared by the ISDN-PRI used for voice services. An ISDN line can therefore be "provisioned" for voice or data and many different options, depending on the equipment being used at any particular installation, and depending on the offerings of the telephone company's central office switch. Most ISDN-PRI's are used for telephone voice communication using large PBX systems, rather than for data. One obvious exception is that ISPs usually have ISDN-PRI's for handling ISDN data and modem calls.

T-1/DS-1

These are highly-regulated services traditionally intended for businesses, that are managed through Public Service Commissions (PSCs) in each state, must be fully defined in PSC tariff documents, and have management rules dating back to the early 1980s which still refer to teletypes as potential connection devices. As such, T-1 services have very strict and rigid service requirements which drive up the provider's maintenance costs and may require them to have a technician on standby 24 hours a day to repair the line if it malfunctions. (In comparison, ISDN and DSL are not regulated by the PSCs at all.) Due to the expensive and regulated nature of T-1 lines, they are normally installed under the provisions of a written agreement, the contract term being typically one to three years. The nomenclature for a T-1 varies widely, cited in some circles a DS-1, a T1.5, a T1, or a DS1. Some of these try to distinguish amongst the different aspects of the line, considering the data standard a DS-1, and the physical structure of the trunk line a T-1 or T-1.5. When a T-1 is installed, there are a number of choices to be made: in the carrier chosen, the location of the demarcation point, the type of channel service unit (CSU) or data service unit (DSU) used, the WAN IP router used, the types of bandwidths chosen, etc. Although a T-1 has a maximum of 1.544 Mbit/s, a fractional T-1 might be offered which only uses an integer multiple of 128 kbit/s for bandwidth. In this manner, a customer might only purchase 1/12th or 1/3 of a T-1, which would be 128 kbit/s and 512 kbit/s, respectively.
T-1 and fractional T-1 data lines are symmetric, meaning that their upload and download data rates are the same.

Wired Ethernet

Where available, this method of broadband connection to the Internet would indicate that Internet access is very fast. However, just because Ethernet is offered doesn't mean that the full 10, 100, or 1000 Mbit/s connection can be utilized for direct Internet access. In a college dormitory, for example, the 100 Mbit/s Ethernet access might be fully available to on-campus networks, but Internet access bandwidths might be closer to 4xT-1 data rate (6 Mbit/s).

Rural broadband

One of the great challenges of broadband is to provide service to potential customers in areas of low population density, such as to farmers, ranchers, and small towns. In cities where the population density is high, it is easy for a service provider to recover equipment costs, but each rural customer may require expensive equipment to get connected.
Several rural broadband solutions exist, though each has its own pitfalls and limitations[clarification needed]. Some choices are better than others, but are dependent on how proactive the local phone company is about upgrading their rural technology.
Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISPs) are rapidly becoming a popular broadband option for rural areas,[citation needed]. The technology's line-of-sight requirements may hamper connectivity in some areas with hilly and heavily foliated terrain. However, the Tegola project, a successful pilot in remote Scotland, demonstrates that wireless can be a viable option[6]. In addition, compared to hard-wired connectivity, there are security risks (unless robust security protocols are enabled); speeds are significantly slower (2 – 50 times slower); and the network can be less stable, due to interference from other wireless devices, weather and line-of-sight problems.

Power line Communication
All power line communications systems operate by impressing a modulated carrier signal on the wiring system. Different types of powerline communications use different frequency bands, depending on the signal transmission characteristics of the power wiring used. Since the power wiring system was originally intended for transmission of AC power, in conventional use, the power wire circuits have only a limited ability to carry higher frequencies. The propagation problem is a limiting factor for each type of power line communications. A new discovery called E-Line that allows a single power conductor on an overhead power line to operate as a waveguide to provide low attenuation propagation of RF through microwave energy lines while providing information rate of multiple Gbps is an exception to this limitation.
Data rates over a power line communication system vary widely. Low-frequency (about 100-200 kHz) carriers impressed on high-voltage transmission lines may carry one or two analog voice circuits, or telemetry and control circuits with an equivalent data rate of a few hundred bits per second; however, these circuits may be many miles long. Higher data rates generally imply shorter ranges; a local area network operating at millions of bits per second may only cover one floor of an office building, but eliminates installation of dedicated network cabling.

Digital Subscriber Line
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term Digital Subscriber Line is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), the most commonly installed technical varieties of DSL. DSL service is delivered simultaneously with regular telephone on the same telephone line as it uses a higher frequency band that is separated by filtering.
The data throughput of consumer DSL services typically ranges from 384 KB/s to 20 Mbit/s in the direction to the customer, depending on DSL technology, line conditions, and service-level implementation. Typically, the data throughput in the reverse direction, i.e. in the direction to the service provider is lower, hence the designation of asymmetric service, but the two are equal for the Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) service.

Satellite Internet
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through satellites. The service can be provided to users world-wide through Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Geostationary satellites can offer higher data speeds, but their signals can not reach some polar regions of the world. Different types of satellite systems have a wide range of different features and technical limitations, which can greatly affect their usefulness and performance in specific applications.

Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband (strictly speaking Mobile Internet as the QOS doesn't meet international Broadband definitions) is the name used to describe various types of wireless high-speed internet access through a portable modem, telephone or other device. Various network standards may be used, such as GPRS, 3G, WiMAX, LTE, Flash-OFDMA, IPW, iBurst UMTS/HSPA, EV-DO and some portable satellite-based systems[1]. However mostly the term refers to EVDO (sister system to CDMA-1), EDGE on GSM and HSPDA/HSUPA/HSPA on UMTS/3G/Foma. Such systems piggyback on the mobile phone infrastructure (EDGE, HSPA etc actually share spectrum with voice calls, which have priority). Thus the phrase "Mobile Broadband" is largely a wireless carrier marketing tool. The actual "non-Mobile Phone" Mobile networks are very small subscriber base (Mobile WiMax, iBurst, Flash-OFDMA, IPW and portable Satellite terminals) compared to Fixed Wireless Broadband. A misleading vendor tactic is to quote the peak Mast speed as the user speed. This is like quoting exchange total speed for DSL or total cable bandwidth for Cable users. It has little resemblance to real world performance.

Wireless ISP
Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) are Internet service providers with networks built around wireless networking. Technology may include commonplace Wi-Fi wireless mesh networking, or proprietary equipment designed to operate over open 900MHz, 2.4GHz, 4.9, 5.2, 5.4, and 5.8GHz bands or licensed frequencies in the UHF or MMDS bands.
In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released Report and Order, FCC 05-56 in 2005 that revised the FCC’s rules to open the 3650 MHz band for terrestrial wireless broadband operations. On November 14, 2007 the Commission released Public Notice (DA 07-4605) in which the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau announced the start date for licensing and registration process for the 3650-3700 MHz band.

Broadband Services

Companies are deploying WiMAX to provide mobile broadband or at-home broadband connectivity across whole cities or countries. In many cases this has resulted in competition in markets which typically only had access to broadband through an existing incumbent DSL (or alike) operator.
Additionally, given the relatively low cost to deploy a WiMAX network (in comparison to GSM, DSL or Fiber-Optic), it is now possible to provide broadband in places where it may have not been economically viable.

In telecommunication

Broadband in telecommunications refers to a signaling method that includes or handles a relatively wide range (or band) of frequencies, which may be divided into channels or frequency bins. Broadband is always a relative term, understood according to its context. The wider (or broader) the bandwidth of a channel, the greater the information-carrying capacity. In radio, for example, a very narrow-band signal will carry Morse code; a broader band will carry speech; a still broader band is required to carry music without losing the high audio frequencies required for realistic sound reproduction. A television antenna described as "broadband" may be capable of receiving a wide range of channels; while a single-frequency or Lo-VHF antenna is "narrowband" since it only receives 1 to 5 channels. In data communications a digital modem will transmit a datarate of 56 kilobits per seconds (kbit/s) over a 4 kilohertz wide telephone line (narrowband or voiceband). However when that same line is converted to an non-loaded twisted-pair wire (no telephone filters), it becomes hundreds of kilohertz wide (broadband) and can carry several megabits per second (ADSL).

In data communications

Broadband in data can refer to broadband networks or broadband Internet and may have the same meaning as above, so that data transmission over a fiber optic cable would be referred to as broadband as compared to a telephone modem operating at 56,000 bits per second. However, a worldwide standard for what level of bandwidth and network speeds actually constitute Broadband have not been determined.[1]
However, broadband in data communications is frequently used in a more technical sense to refer to data transmission where multiple pieces of data are sent simultaneously to increase the effective rate of transmission, regardless of data signaling rate. In network engineering this term is used for methods where two or more signals share a medium.[2] Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just broadband, is a high data rate Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56k modem.
Dial-up modems are limited to a bitrate of less than 56 kbit/s (kilobits per second) and require the full use of a telephone line—whereas broadband technologies supply more than double this rate and generally without disrupting telephone use.

In DSL

The various forms of digital subscriber line (DSL) services are broadband in the sense that digital information is sent over a high-bandwidth channel (located above the baseband voice channel on a single pair of wires).[2]

In Ethernet

A baseband transmission sends one type of signal using a medium's full bandwidth, as in 100BASE-T Ethernet. Ethernet, however, is the common interface to broadband modems such as DSL data links, and has a high data rate itself, so is sometimes referred to as broadband. Ethernet provided over cable modem is a common alternative to DSL.

In power-line communication

Power lines have also been used for various types of data communication. Although some systems for remote control are based on narrowband signaling, modern high-speed systems use broadband signaling to achieve very high data rates. One example is the ITU-T G.hn standard, which provides a way to create a high-speed (up to 1 Gigabit/s) Local area network using existing home wiring (including power lines, but also phone lines and coaxial cables).

In video

Broadband in analog video distribution is traditionally used to refer to systems such as cable television, where the individual channels are modulated on carriers at fixed frequencies.[3] In this context, baseband is the term's antonym, referring to a single channel of analog video, typically in composite form with an audio subcarrier.[4] The act of demodulating converts broadband video to baseband video.
However, broadband video in the context of streaming Internet video has come to mean video files that have bitrates high enough to require broadband Internet access in order to view them.
Broadband video is also sometimes used to describe IPTV Video on demand.

Wire line broadband Internet access service

Wire line broadband Internet access service "is a service that uses existing or future wire line facilities of the telephone network to provide subscribers with Internet access capabilities.
Wire line broadband Internet access service, like cable modem service, is a functionally integrated, finished service that inextricably intertwines information-processing capabilities with data transmission such that the consumer always uses them as a unitary service. . . . [W]here wire line broadband Internet access service enables an end user to retrieve files from the World Wide Web, the end user has the capability to interact with information stored on the service provider's facilities. To the extent a provider offers end users a capability to store files on the service provider's computers to establish “home pages,” the consumer is utilizing the “capability for . . . storing . . . or making available information.” In short, providers of wire line broadband Internet access service offer subscribers the ability to run a variety of applications that fit under the characteristics stated in the information service definition. These characteristics distinguish wire line broadband Internet access service from other wire line broadband services, such as stand-alone ATM service, frame relay, gigabit Ethernet service, and other high-capacity special access services, that carriers and end users have traditionally used for basic transmission purposes. That is, these services lack the key characteristics of wire line broadband Internet access service — they do not inextricably intertwine transmission with information-processing capabilities.

Video Conferencing
Conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data. For example, a point-to-point (two-person) video conferencing system works much like a video telephone. Each participant has a video camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his or her computer. As the two participants speak to one another, their voices are carried over the network and delivered to the other's speakers, and whatever images appear in front of the video camera appear in a window on the other participant's monitor.
Multipoint videoconferencing allows three or more participants to sit in a virtual conference room and communicate as if they were sitting right next to each other. Until the mid 90s, the hardware costs made videoconferencing prohibitively expensive for most organizations, but that situation is changing rapidly. Many analysts believe that videoconferencing will be one of the fastest-growing segments of the computer industry in the latter half of the decade.
Features of Broadband / ADSL Service
1. The most important feature is security. With all the viruses on the Internet today, it is better to be safe than sorry. A good ISP will offer excellent virus protection, and it never hurts to have a pop up blocker, either. While these troublesome pop up ads are frustrating, they can also be harmful to your computer. Many ISPs are offering a variety of services to make the customer's experience on the Internet quicker and more enjoyable. A good ISP will also provide blocks for children so that parents can control what their children are being exposed to on the Internet and block adult material.

2. Another good feature of any ISP is being able to have multiple email accounts. Most ISPs provide between 5 and 10 email accounts per subscriber so that every member of the family can have their own email account. This way, fathers don't have to sort through a long list of cute forwards from his daughter's friends, and she doesn't have to be bored out of her mind scrolling through her father's stock tips. This is an excellent incentive if you have a family. Having several email accounts is a good idea, so that one can be used for business and another for personal use.

3. Many ISPs also offer free web space. This is great if you want your won web page but don't want the hassle of all the ads. This web space tends to be limited in size, but does come without unwanted ads of other free web spaces. A good ISP will provide web building templates and other tools such as counters to make your website more efficient. It is always a good idea to check with your ISP before using a free website for business, because some ISPs don't allow that.

4. An ISP can also give you the option of using it with several computers in your home. Some ISPs offer this service for free, and others charge a small fee. With multiple points of access, a parent can complete work online, while a child can research a school paper. Whatever features you are looking for, you should be able to find by shopping around the different ISPs and finding the one that is perfect for your family.

Broadband Applications could be divided into two broad categories:

Broadband telephony: This is more popularly referred as 'Voice over Internet Protocol', 'VoIP', 'Internet telephony', 'IP Telephony', 'Broadband Phone', or 'Voice over Broadband'. It is the process through the routing of voice conversations over any IP-based network or the Internet is done. They carry voice signals, which are known as protocols, over the IP network called VoIP protocols.

Broadband radio: Also known as Internet radio, this is a service of audio broadcasting transmission through Internet. In technical term it is known as webcasting as it functions through world wide web.

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Bibliography

Via Internet 1. http://www.intoweb.co.za/articles-3g.html 2. http://www.informit.com 3. http://broadbandglossary.wordpress.com/ 4. http://www.bsnl.co.in/service/ 5. http://mumbai.mtnl.net.in/ 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 7. http://www.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3? 8. Teleguru - A Indian Telecom Blog (blog)

Via Other Written Material 1. India Today, June 7, 2010 2. Yojana, May, 2010 3. The Navbharat Times, May 29, 2010

Appendix

1. xDSL- It refers to all high speed broadband DSL, or digital subscriber lines. This group includes ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line), SDSL (symmetric digital subscriber line), VDSL (very high bit-rate digital subscriber line), etc. DSL technologies send data over the copper wire network.
2. Asynchronous - In broadband, asynchronous refers to different upload and download speeds. With ASDSL broadband (via a phone line) the download speed is faster than the upload speed.
3. Backbone - A backbone is a robust central transmission line (or a collection of transmission lines) that links many smaller local networks via connections known network access points.
4. Freeware - Freeware is free software that users can download from the web (or any other distribution medium) and use as often as they like without payment or subscription. However although it is free to use and distribute, most freeware is not copyright-free (ie, the original developer will retain the copyright on the software).