Scrap Time! - What is Broadband?

[Steiny]

OK folks - here is a question that seems to divide the online community.

How fast does a connection have to be to count as broadband?

Also, please tell me WHY you give your response. Can you point out any authoratitive definitions to justify your claim?

ta muchly,

Stein0r

 

[gremlin]

It has nothing to do with the amount of bits you can shove down it. Broadband refers to the pysical transmission medium (ie, copper or cable)..

The definition in the dictionary states:

broad·band (brôdbnd)
adj.
Of, relating to, or having a wide band of electromagnetic frequencies: a broadband network.

You could have a 64k leased line, this would still be regarded as broadband.

 

[nath]

authorative schmorthative. broad band is 512k. For the simple reason is that its a lot faster than a modem. It's also the fastest home connection that we can get currently (well you could get a leased line or 2mbit dsl , but that's not very likely for home users).

Some people and some 'authorities' claim broadband to be a minimum of 2mbits but i think that's pap. Because our internet connection standards are lower than some european countries and america, the term broadband means something lower to us. It's all about relativity. 512k is relatively broad band compared to what alternatives we have. In other places, a 2mbit connection would be feasable in the home.. not here.

I'm not really getting my point across very well, and i'm starting to chat shit, so i'll stop now but you get my point (don't you?)

 

[Perplex]

Nath, you missed his point. Broadband has nothing to do with hwo fast data can be transmitted. It's a term applied to the actual transmission media.

broadband

Also see bandwidth.
In general, broadband refers to telecommunication in which a wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information. Because a wide band of frequencies is available, information can be multiplexed and sent on many different frequencies or channels within the band concurrently, allowing more information to be transmitted in a given amount of time (much as more lanes on a highway allow more cars to travel on it at the same time). Related terms are wideband (a synonym), baseband (a one-channel band), and narrowband (sometimes meaning just wide enough to carry voice, or simply "not broadband," and sometimes meaning specifically between 50 cps and 64 Kpbs).

Various definers of broadband have assigned a minimum data rate to the term. Here are a few:

Newton's Telecom Dictionary: "...greater than a voice grade line of 3 KHz...some say [it should be at least] 20 KHz."
Jupiter Communications: at least 256 Kbps.
IBM Dictionary of Computing: A broadband channel is "6 MHz wide."
It is generally agreed that Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable TV are broadband services in the downstream direction.

 

[Embattle]

I've got broadband and don't care why its defined as broadband

 

[Wij]

It's just a question of definition and I like to define it as 2mbit just so OFTEL can stop patting itself on the back about how it has managed to get broadband into usage in the UK

Hang on. That means my ADSL doesn't count too

 

[gremlin]

Oftel shmoftel..

 

[old.?]

When in the hell is the price of ADSL come down. I have just got a credit card so I am thinking of getting ADSL on it, but for 150 quid installation and 40 quid a month

 

[Moving Target]

56k - now thats what I call broadband!

 

[Embattle]

Originally posted by ?
When in the hell is the price of ADSL come down. I have just got a credit card so I am thinking of getting ADSL on it, but for 150 quid installation and 40 quid a month

Its likely that the monthly price will be increased not decreased.

 

[Will]

£40/month?

Check this linkhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1409000/1409048.stm

It's about to rise. I feel a smug cable modem glow.

 

[Wij]

Originally posted by ItchyTrigaFinga
£40/month?

Check this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1409000/1409048.stm

It's about to rise. I feel a smug cable modem glow.

link don't work

 

[Summo]

Aww... does Wij not like to cut and paste.

Try this link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1409000/1409048.stm

Hope that helps ya!

 

[Will]

lol

fixed the link.

 

[Wij]

Originally posted by SomeGuy
Aww... does Wij not like to cut and paste.

Try this link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1409000/1409048.stm

Hope that helps ya!

Quite apt that one. When I was writing a system for work a few years back the analysts hadn't got round to writing the error messages when I wanted to test the functionality so I just wrote a few of my own and thought they'd get replaced later, after all this system was gonna be tested right ? Not that well it seems since on the first day it went into pilot my manager said they'd had a complaint from users that if they typed a certain number in wrong (the first one they'd type for every account) they got the message "You ARSE !!!"