What Is Cable Broadband Internet?

The Internet is the worldwide interconnection of computer devices through various mediums, such as a cable connection. Just as with telephone and television services, Internet information must be translated into a digital signal so that it can be broadcast and accessed by your computer.

Broadband service refers to the type of signal through which the Internet information is broadcast. As the title suggests, broadband service is defined by its use of broader signal bands when compared with dial-up Internet services. Dial-up services access the Internet through a phone line and a modem capable of only 56 kilobyte per second download speeds. Since broadband Internet signals carry more information than dial-up signals, Internet speeds with a broadband service are substantially faster.

Cable broadband Internet service is accessed through a coaxial cable outlet. Cable Internet service uses the existing cable television digital infrastructure to broadcast Internet information to users. Generally, this service is slightly higher in price when compared to dial-up Internet service. One of the issues with a cable Internet connection arises through shared usage. Since the existing cable television infrastructure is utilized, cable Internet users in the same area share the same information lines that connect into the infrastructure. This means that with increased cable Internet users in an area, the download and upload speeds experienced by users will progressively slow down.

There are various other broadband Internet connection types aside from cable access. Digital subscriber line access, commonly abbreviated DSL, uses existing phone lines to send a broadband Internet signal to users. An emerging technology is fiber-optic service, which uses Internet-specific fiber-optic lines to broadcast Internet information. A less common way to access broadband Internet is through a special satellite connection, which generally requires a higher installation price than other broadband services.