A broadband telecommunications system based on fiber-optic cables and associated optical electronics for delivery of multiple advanced services such as of telephone, broadband Internet, and television across one link all the way.
Published in Chapter:
Broadband Solutions for the Last Mile to Malaysian Residential Customers
Saravanan Nathan Lurudusamy (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 7
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-014-1.ch023
Abstract
Broadband is a term that describes the Internet as a function of high-speed data connections and large bandwidth. The Federation Communication Commission (FCC) defines broadband service as data transmission speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (Kbps), or 200,000 bits per second, in at least one direction, either downstream or upstream. Its fundamental ability to bring about change in the socioeconomic fabric hinges on it being a medium for greater amount of data transmission. Briefly, high capacity bandwidth allows greater amount of information to be transmitted which is the essence of all applications and communications. It is widely predicted that Internet through broadband will quickly penetrate the residential markets that is in line with the National Broadband Plan (NBP) that focuses on infrastructure readiness and market penetration, expediting the rollout of broadband using both fixed and wireless access. The first in the list of 10 National Policy Objectives as stated in the Communications & Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 reports the aspiration of turning Malaysia into a communications and multimedia global hub. Hashim (2006) states that a secretariat has been formed to roll out the NBP to ensure its success and to achieve the 10% of the population by 2008. Indeed, one of the fundamental strategies to accomplish such a vision is to put in place an efficient broadband network and ensure sufficient subscription to the services. Broadband is different from conventional dial-up services due to its many enhanced capabilities. It provides access to a wide range of Internet services and applications like streaming media, Internet phone, online gaming, and other interactive services. Many of these current and newly developed services are “bandwidth hungry,” thus requiring large amounts of data transfer at excessively fast speed, which may not be technically feasible with dial-up service. Therefore, broadband service may be increasingly necessary to access a full range of services and opportunities beyond what a dial-up service could potentially offer. Many residential customers who have been using traditional dial-up have been migrating to broadband. The constantly connected Internet accessibility remains another lucrative benefit for broadband converts as compared to the dial-up technology. Broadband technology does not block phone lines nor requires one to reconnect to the network after logging off. The dedicated connection for the user translates into less delay in transmission of content. A faster connection speed could allow users to access a wide range of resources, services, and products.