broadband

In general, broadband refers to telecommunication in which a wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information. Because a wide band of frequencies is available, information can be multiplexed and sent on many different frequencies or channels within the band concurrently, allowing more information to be transmitted in a given amount of time (much as more lanes on a highway allow more cars to travel on it at the same time). Related terms are wideband (a synonym), baseband (a one-channel band), and narrowband (sometimes meaning just wide enough to carry voice, or simply "not broadband," and sometimes meaning specifically between 50 cps and 64 Kpbs).

Various definers of broadband have assigned a minimum data rate to the term. Here are a few:

• Newton's Telecom Dictionary: "...greater than a voice grade line of 3 KHz...some say [it should be at least] 20 KHz."
• Jupiter Communications: at least 256 Kbps.
• IBM Dictionary of Computing: A broadband channel is "6 MHz wide."

It is generally agreed that Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable TV are broadband services in the downstream direction.

Read more about broadband: - SearchNetworking has a team of experts who can answer your questions about broadband transmission. - Talk about the definition of broadband and its implementation in searchNetworking.com's Network Design forum. - Ben Macklin's "The Broadband Revolution: You Say You Want a Definition" catalogs some of them.

Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know. Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com

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