Types of Broadband

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Types of Broadband
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Broadband Flavors

• Wired
• Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL)
• Cable Modem
• Leased Lines (T1)
• Fiber Optic Cable
• Broadband Over Powerline (BPL)

• Wireless
• Satellite
• Fixed Wireless
• Wi-Fi
• WiMAX

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Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

• Uses plain old phone lines (POTS)
• Voice and data over the same line
• Speed 1.5-8 Mbps
• Requires location near central phone office or
  switch (18,000 feet)
• Phone lines are everywhere but not all of them
  are able to support DSL
• Direct one-on-one connection bandwidth is not
  shared with neighbors

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Cable Modem

• Faster than DSL
• Uses the same cable television lines that deliver
  pictures and sound to your TV set
• Shared connection speeds can slow down when many
  people in the same neighborhood are online
• Easy to install

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Broadband Over Powerline (BPL)

• Delivered through power lines
• Almost all homes and businesses are connected to
  the power grid
• Still in early stages of development
• Potential interference with ham radio signals
• Speeds similar to DSL and cable

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Satellite

• Available most places including hard-to-reach
  rural areas
• Slower than cable or DSL. WildBlue download
  speeds up to 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds up to
  256Kbps.
• Trees and heavy rain affects signal
• Need unobstructed view of southern sky

Graphic from WildBlue.com
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Fiber Optic Cable

• Delivered over fiber optic cables
• Very high bandwidth
• High cost to build fiber network
• Low maintenance

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Wireless Broadband

• Fast relatively inexpensive deployment
• DSL and cable speeds
• Many varieties
• Point-to-Point
• Point-Multipoint
• Mesh
• Hot zones
• Hot spots

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Point-to-Point Fixed Wireless

• Uses part of the radio spectrum to send and
  receive signals. Typically made up of
  on-the-ground antenna-to-antenna systems.
• Requires indoor or outdoor antenna
• Coverage about 5 miles transmitter or access
  point
• High bandwidth
• Usually licensed
• Backbone or transport layer
• Line of site

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Fixed Wireless
http//www.connectusa.com/faq.htm
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Point-to-Multipoint Fixed Wireless

• Broadband delivery to premise
• Consumer or business grade
• One antenna to many sites
• Line-of-sight
• Large coverage area
• Licensed or unlicensed

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Mesh Network Wireless

• Nodes (radios)
• Connect to user
• Transmit to aggregation point
• Typically unlicensed
• Favor urban areas or hot zones

Aggregation Point
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Mobile Wi-Fi

• Wireless fidelity
• Wi-Fi access points found at cafés, homes,
  campuses, businesses.
• Access is limited to 50-300 feet
• Coverage limited by location and number of
  transmitters
• Relatively cheap for providers to set-up
• End-user equipment cheap and easy to install

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Where to Wi-Fi

• Hotels, motels, inns, and resorts
• Airports
• Public libraries
• Cybercafes and fast food restaurants
• Courthouses
• City parks like NYC's Central Park
• Public recreation areas and rest stops
• Truck stops
• RV parks

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WiMAX

• Wi-Fi on steroids
• Can cover a large area 30 miles
• Still in early stages of development
• Can support ultra-broadband - a really big pipe
  with lots of bandwidth and speed. Just what you
  would need to run your own real-time online video
  channel.

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How Much Broadband Costs Depends on

• How fast you want to go
• Residential or business use
• Pricing of the provider

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Connecting Rural Communities www.ConnectingCommu
nities.info
Connecting Rural Communities