Broadband Cable

DCE provides Broadband Access hardware for Cable operators
We also have a full range of Customer Premise Equipment
1-301-924-7400 ext. 17

Broadband Cable

The term cable Internet access (or simply cable) refers to the delivery of broadband Internet service over the CATV infrastructure.

Broadband Cable should not be confused with older LAN systems such as 10base2 or 10base5 that used coaxial cables — and especially not with 10broad36, which actually utilized the same sort of cable as CATV systems.

Cable modem for broadband internet access

Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access, taking advantage of unused bandwidth on a cable television network.

Along with digital subscriber line technology, cable modems ushered in the age of broadband Internet access in developed countries. Prior to the availability of such systems, Internet access involved slow dial-up access over a public switched telephone network.

Users in a neighborhood share the available bandwidth provided by a single coaxial cable line. Therefore, connection speed can vary depending on how many people are using the service at the same time.

Often the idea of a shared line is seen as a weak point of cable Internet access. From a technical point of view, all networks, including DSL services, are sharing a fixed amount of bandwidth between a multitude of users — but because cable networks tend to be spread over larger areas than DSL services, more care must be taken to ensure good network performance.

A more significant weakness of cable networks using a shared line is the risk of loss of privacy, especially considering the availability of hacking tools for cable modems. This issue is addressed by encryption and other privacy features specified in the DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) standard used by most cable modems.


Cable Modems and VoIP

With the advent of Voice over IP telephony, cable modems can also be used to provide telephone service. Many people who have cable modems have opted to eliminate their Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). Because most telephone companies do not offer naked DSL, DSL service without a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line, many VoIP users prefer cable modems.

VoIP and other new data services that require broadband Internet access are driving demand for increased bandwidth delivery via cable modems. As of 2005, several national cable systems in the United States have announced plans to upgrade their networks to meet this demand.

Confusing Usage of "Broadband"

While many lower rate forms of data transmission, such as analog modems above 600 bit/s, are broadband, broadband has been more closely associated with higher data rate forms of broadband data transmission such as T-carrier and Digital Subscriber Lines. Therefore, the word "broadband" has also come to mean a relatively high rate, while the term "narrowband" is used to mean a relatively low rate. It is now quite common to hear a broadband method such as a 9600 bit/s modem described as "narrowband", while a high rate narrowband method such as 10BASE-T is described as "broadband". The International Telecommunication Union Standardization Sector (ITU-T) recommendation I.113 has defined broadband as a transmission capacity that is faster than primary rate ISDN, at 1.5 to 2 Mbit/s. However speeds of 256 kbit/s and greater are commonly marketed as "broadband" and this convention is held to by policy makers and ISPs alike. See Broadband Internet access. Note: The term "narrowband" is also used to mean the opposite of "wideband" instead of the opposite of "broadband".

 

DCE provides Broadband Access hardware for Cable operators
We also have a full range of Customer Premise Equipment