BPM-EAI

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
DSL is a wireline transmission technology that transmits data faster over traditional copper telephone lines already installed to homes and businesses, ranging from several hundred Kbps to millions of bits per second (Mbps). The availability and speed of DSL service may depend on the distance from home or business to the closest telephone company facility.
The following are types of DSL transmission technologies:
• Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) - Used primarily by residential customers, such as Internet surfers, who receive a lot of data but do not send much. ADSL typically provides faster speed in the downstream direction than the upstream direction. Special filters called micro filters are used to get clear and un-interfering voice calls.
• Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) - Used typically by businesses for services such as video conferencing, which need significant bandwidth both upstream and downstream.
ASDL is faster in downloading data and a bit slower in uploading data, when compared to an SDSL connection, which acts vice-versa.
Faster forms of DSL typically available to businesses include:
• High data rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL); and
• Very High data rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL).
Newer technologies in use mainly include VDSL.

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. In a few areas not served by cable or ADSL, community organizations have begun to install Wi-Fi networks, and in some cities and towns local governments are installing municipal Wi-Fi networks. The newest technology being deployed for mobile and stationary broadband access is WiMAX.

Cable Modem
• Cable modem service enables cable operators to provide broadband using the same coaxial cables that deliver pictures and sound to TV set.
• Most cable modems are external devices that have two connections: One to the cable wall outlet, the other to a computer. They provide transmission speeds of 1.5 Mbps or more.
• Subscribers can access their cable modem service by simply turning on their computers, without dialing-up an ISP. You can still watch cable TV while using it. Transmission speeds vary depending on the type of cable modem, cable network, and traffic load. Speeds are comparable to DSL.

Fiber-optic communication
• Fiber optic technology converts electrical signals carrying data to light and sends the light through transparent glass fibers about the diameter of a human hair. Fiber transmits data at speeds far exceeding current DSL or cable modem speeds, typically by tens or even hundreds of Mbps.
• The actual speed you experience will vary depending on a variety of factors, such as how close to your computer the service provider brings the fiber and how the service provider configures the service, including the amount of bandwidth used.

Wireless
• Wireless broadband connects a home or business to the Internet using a radio link between the customer's location and the service provider's facility. Wireless broadband can be mobile or fixed.
• Wireless technologies using longer-range directional equipment provide broadband service in remote or sparsely populated areas where DSL or cable modem service would be costly to provide. Speeds are generally comparable to DSL and cable modem. An external antenna is usually required.
• Wireless broadband Internet access services offered over fixed networks allow consumers to access the Internet from a fixed point and often require a direct line-of-sight between the wireless transmitter and receiver. These services have been offered using both licensed spectrum and unlicensed devices.
• Wi-Fi networks use unlicensed devices and can be designed for private access within a home or business, or be used for public Internet access at "hot spots" such as restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, airports, etc.
Mobile wireless broadband services are also becoming available from mobile telephone service providers and others. These services are appropriate for highly-mobile customers and require a special PC card with a built in antenna that plugs into a user's laptop computer. They transmit data, in the range of several hundred Kbps.

Satellite
Just as satellites orbiting the earth provide necessary links for telephone and television service, they can also provide links for broadband. Satellite broadband is another form of wireless broadband. Downstream and upstream speeds for satellite broadband depend on several factors, including the provider and the consumer's line of sight to the orbiting satellite, and the weather. Typically a consumer can expect to download at a speed of about 500 Kbps and upload at a speed of about 80 Kbps.

Broadband over Powerline (BPL)
BPL is the delivery of broadband over the existing low- and medium-voltage electric power distribution network. Speeds are comparable to DSL and cable modem speeds. BPL can be provided to homes using existing electrical connections and outlets. BPL is an emerging technology that is available in very limited areas. It has significant potential because power lines are installed virtually everywhere, alleviating the need to build new broadband facilities for every customer.

 Quick Comparison of DSL, Cable & Fiber Optic Internet Access
 In a major population center, the choice of broadband is currently among three major types of Internet access -- DSL, cable, and fiber optics. This comparison table gives a fair idea of the speeds and costs involved:
Compare            DSL Internet Cable Internet Fiber Optics
Download (Min)    768 Kbps       4 Mbps       10 Mbps
Download (Max)   7.1 Mbps      16 Mbps       50 Mbps
Upload (Min)       128 Kbps     384 Kbps        2 Mbps
Upload (Max)      768 Kbps     1.5 Mbps       20 Mbps
Connection         Phone Line     TV Cable    Fiber Optic Lines
Monthly Price     $20 to $45    $40 to $55     $45 to $145
   
 Although fiber optics is the fastest, it is also the most expensive. However, most cable companies are upgrading their networks to compete with fiber.
 
Usage of internet with Broadband connections:
 The graph represented below shows the usage of internet with broadband connections in recent years: Systems" - Tunisia 2010

Conclusion:

This blog examined the broadband services and various technologies associated with it. There has been an unprecedented rapid growth in the demand for mobility globally, seamless communication, data services, and ubiquitous computing.
Advances in broadband technologies along with earning potentials are fuelling the tremendous growth in telecom industry. Enhancements in High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) are expected to be a major investment area in this decade while the fixed broadband wireless would be more of a niche service for operators during the same period.