Broadband Glossary

3G – Third Generation: wireless mobile services and applications offering users very fast access to the internet either through their mobile phone or through their computer wirelessly.

ADSL – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line: DSL service with a larger portion of the capacity devoted to downstream communications, less to upstream. Typically thought of as a residential service using copper cables to deliver the internet to the premises.

Bandwidth – The amount of data transmitted in a given amount of time; usually measured in bits per second, kilobits per second, and megabits per second.

Bit – A single unit of data, either a one or a zero. In the world of broadband, bits are used to refer to the amount of transmitted data. A kilobit (Kb) is approximately 1,000 bits. A megabit (Mb) is approximately 1,000,000 bits.

BPL – Broadband Over Powerline: A technology that allows broadband services to be delivered using existing electrical power supply lines and is now being rolled out in the developing world.

Broadband – A descriptive term for digital technologies that provides consumers with integrated access to voice, high-speed data service, video-demand services, and interactive delivery services

Coaxial Cable – A type of cable that can carry large amounts of data over very long distances. Cable TV and cable modem service both utilize this technology.

Dial-Up – A technology that provides customers with access to the Internet over an existing telephone line.

Downstream or Download – Data that flows from the Internet to the computer e.g. when a user surfs the internet, checks E-mail, that type of dataflow is downstream and the user is downloading.

DSL – Digital Subscriber Line: The use of a copper telephone line to deliver “always on” broadband Internet service.

FTTN – Fiber To The Neighborhood: A hybrid network architecture involving optical fiber from the carrier network, terminating in a neighborhood cabinet with converts the signal from optical to electrical.

FTTP – Fiber To The Premise (Or FTTB – Fiber To The Building): A fiber optic system that connects directly from the carrier network to the user premises.

GSM – Global System for Mobile Communications: This is the current radio/telephone standard in Europe and many other countries except Japan and the United States.

IP-VPN – Internet Protocol -Virtual Private Network: A software-defined network offering the appearance, functionality and usefulness of a dedicated private network

ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network: An alternative method to simultaneously carry voice, data and other traffic, using the switched telephone network.

ISP – Internet Service Provider: A company providing Internet access to consumers and businesses, acting as a bridge between customer (end-user) and infrastructure owners for dial-up, cable modem and DSL services.

Kbps – Kilobits per second: 1,000 bits per second. A measure of how fast data can be transmitted.

LAN – Local Area Network: A geographically localized network consisting of both hardware and software. The network can link workstations within a building or multiple computers with a single wireless Internet connection.

Mbps – Megabits per second: 1,000,000 bits per second. A measure of how fast data can be transmitted.

Streaming – Streaming video is content sent in compressed form over the Internet and displayed by the viewer in real time. With streaming video or streaming media, a Web user does not have to wait to download a file to play it. Instead, the media is sent in a continuous stream of data and is played as it arrives.

Upstream or Upload – Data flowing from your computer to the Internet (sending E-mail, uploading a file).

Video On Demand – A service that allows users to remotely choose a movie from a digital library and be able to pause, fast-forward, or even rewind their selection.

Majority source: California Public Utilities Commission

Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting

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