Broadband Glossary. WORD or ACRONYM DEFINITION. 3G. A marketing term for 3rd generation wireless technology with transmission speeds generally less ...
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WORD or ACRONYM
3G
4G
ADSL
Source: Chris Maddy, The Northspan Group, Inc., In conjunction with the Northeast Service Cooperative and the Blandin Foundation, Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
DEFINITION
A marketing term for 3rd generation wireless technology with transmission speeds generally less than 1 Mbps. A marketing term for 4th generation wireless technology with transmission speeds greater than 1 Mbps.
Digital Subscriber Line Internet Service that provides greater bandwidth for downloads at the expense of upload speeds, typically 2Mbps or lower for downloads and up to 512 Kbps for uploads. ADSL is the most common form of DSL used in home networking.
Asymmetric
In broadband, asymmetric refers to different upload and download speeds.
Backbone
A backbone is a robust central transmission line (or a collection of transmission lines) that links many smaller local networks via connections known network access points. It can be a local backbone for a group of office buildings or local area, linking smaller networks to create a wide area network (WAN); or the Internet backbone itself.
Backhaul
Intermediate link between a local network and a major Internet backbone and/or major interconnection points to access the global Internet.
Bandwidth
The amount of data that can be sent in a time period.
Broadband
A generic marketing term for high-speed Internet. The definition of “high-speed” is constantly redefined with technology changes.
Burst Speed
Burstable
The maximum speed at which a device can operate without interruption, generally only for short periods. This is in contrast through output , which indicates the average speed at which a device can operate under ordinary conditions.
The ability to temporarily increase the capacity of your broadband connection for times when there is a dramatic increase in traffic.
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. A new entrant into the local telephone service
CLEC
market that competes with the incumbent telephone company.
CWDM
Coarse Wage Division Multiplexing. This allows for a multiplication in capacity and bi-directional communications over a strand of fiber. Transmission of information via light over fiber-optics can be though of like a prism. Communication paths or waves are colors in the spectrum. A CWDM system creates waves that have wide bands, yielding a total of 16 waves for a given path.
Central Office
Cloud Computing
Co-location Facility
DSL
Physical building that houses inside plant equipment including routers, regeneration amplification, collocation space and other important networking hardware. Telephone companies locate telephone switching equipment at Central Offices. Cloud computing refers to the growing practice for online applications to be housed online, rather than on an individual’s computer or a smaller company’s servers. These applications are housed in data centers. Form of data center where network providers and partners locate network, server and storage equipment and interconnect to a variety of other network service providers. Digital Subscriber Line Internet Service. DSL provides high-speed networking over ordinary phone lines using broadband technology. DSL technology allows Internet and telephone service to work over the same phone line without disconnecting either service. continued ...
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DWDM
Dark Fiber
FTTH of FTTP
Fiber
Fiber Jumper
Fiber Optics
Fiber Optic Link
Fusion Splice
Dense Wave Division Multiplexing. This allows for a multiplication in capacity and bi-directional communications over a strand of fiber via waves. A DWDM system creates waves that have thin bands, yielding 80 waves total for a given path. DWDM systems are more expensive than CWDM systems due to the amount of waves possible. A fiber strand that is not being used by any entity and carries no Internet traffic, i.e. fiber that is not “lit” by equipment transmitting data via light.
Fiber to the Home or Fiber to the Premise. The engineering practice of using fiber optic cabling throughout a community. Also referred to as Fiber Strand. Optical fiber is made of flexible glass that can support very high data transfer rates. An individual glass fiber, roughly the thickness of a human hair, is capable of carrying a distinct signal transmitted in the form of pulses of light. A single strand of fiber is capable of transmitting over a million simultaneous telephone calls, or nearly 80 gigabits of digital information per second (80,000,000,000 pulses of light per second), using current telecommunications equipment. A fiber jumper, sometimes called a fiber patch cord, is a length of fiber cabling fitted with connectors at each end. Jumpers are used in the same manner as patch cords, to connect end devices or network hardware to the structured cabling system. Optical fiber (or “fiber optic”) refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light pulses along a glass or plastic strand of fiber. Optical fiber carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is in general not subject to electromagnetic interferences and the need to retransmit signals. The capacity is limited only by the equipment on each end of the fiber. Half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Charles K. Kao, who pioneered the use of fiber optics. Any optical transmission channel designed to connect two end terminals or be connected in series with other channels.
A method of splicing in which two segments of fiber are melted together using heat. A fusion splice results in less power loss than mechanical splicing.
Gbps
Gigabits per second. Data rate of 1,000,000,000 bits per second (bps); also 1,000 Mbps.
HDSL
Digital Subscriber Line Internet Service that provides equal bandwidth for both downloads and uploads, offering data rates up to 2,048 Kbps.
Hand Hole
ILEC
IPTV
ISP
IXC
An opening in a conduit or sheath to access fiber-optic cable and wires for splicing. Hand holes get their name as the opening is typically a hole big enough for hands. Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. An incumbent local exchange carrier is a U.S. telephone company that was providing service when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed; carrier of last resort. Internet Protocol Television. A system through which digital television service is delivered using traditional IP architecture and networking. Internet Service Provider. A company that supplies Internet connectivity to home and business customers. ISPs operate networks that connect end-users to the Tier 1 Internet, allowing them to access resources worldwide. ISPs function as on-ramps to the Internet. Interexchange Carrier. An interexchange carrier is a telephone company that proved connections between local exchange carriers (LEC) in different geographic areas (long distance). continued ...
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Innerduct
Interconnection
Kbps
Last Mile
Located within a conduit or sheath, innerduct separates strands of fiber-optic cable from others. A sheath or conduit may be made up of multiple bundles of fiber, each enclosed with its own innerduct and often owned by separate providers.
The linkage, by wire, radio, satellite or other means, of two or more existing telecommunications carriers or operators with one another for the purpose of allowing or enabling the subscribers of one carrier or operator to access or reach the subscribers of the other carriers or operators. Networks feature Interconnection Points with other networks, including Tier 1 Internet providers that allow users to access websites all over the world. Kilobits per second. Data rate of 1,000 bits per second (bps); one kilobyte per second equals 8 kilobits per second.
Segment of telecommunications network that connects the local provider to the customer. The type of cable and distance to the telecommunications offers determines the bandwidth and services available to the customer. Also known as the local loop.
Lateral
A fiber path extending from the backbone of a network to an organization’s network.
An access circuit from the network edge to the customer premises, a local loop (last mile) is a short haul circuit for access to a local exchange. The distance can range from a few feet to multiple miles.
LTE
Long Term Evolution. A 4G mobile wireless technology used by Verizon and others.
Mbps
Megabits per second. Data range of 1,000,000 bits per second (bps); also 1,000 Kbps.
Make-ready
Everything that needs to be done to make a facility ready to receive the fiber-optic cable or similar preparations necessary to build fiber along a given route. This could include: permitting, masonry, electrical work, moving existing cabling to make room for new attachments.
Local Loop
Mechanical Splice
Middle Mile
A method of splicing in which fiber jumpers are used to connect one segment of fiber to another.
Segment of a telecommunications network which connects a network operator’s core network to the local network plant. Local telecom providers often purchase middle mile services from larger telecom companies.
Multicast
A process transmitting data from one source to many destinations.
NAP
Network Access Points. Commonly referred to as Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), NAPs or IXPs are places in which large network providers converge for the direct exchange of traffic. Typically, an ISP or network provider will access Tier 1 global providers and their networks via NAPs or IXPs. though they also serve as meet points for like networks. NAPs or IXPs have been built all across the globe to handle today’s massive Internet traffic. NAPs are also sometimes referred to as Carrier Hotels or ISP Shopping Malls because of the many different organizations available in NAPs for global, national or regional transport of network traffic.
Node
Optical Fiber
A node is any device connected to a computer network. Nodes can be computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, or various other network appliances. On an IP network, a node is any device with an IP address. A wirelike thread of transparent glass or plastic used in fiber optics to carry light signals and images.
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POP
SDSL
SFP
SHDSL
Slack Loop
Switch
Tier 1 Internet Network
Tier 2 Internet Network
Triple Play
VDSL
VoIP
WDM
WiFi
Point of Presence. The point at which local Internet Service Providers connect to regional and national networks. Distance to the POP can influence service availability and pricing. Digital Subscriber Line Internet Service that provides equal bandwidth for both downloads and uploads, offering data rates up to 3,000 Kbps.
Small form-factor pluggable. A specification for a new generation of optical modular transceivers to connect fiber to network equipment. It is a popular industry format supported by many network component vendors. SFP transceivers are designed to support SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Channel, and other communications standards. Digital Subscriber Line Internet Service that provides equal bandwidth for both downloads and uploads, offering data rates from 192 Kbps to 2,320 Kbps. Utilizing one copper wire pair, SHDSL is an affordable option for small businesses. Excess fiber between coil-line equipment. The slack loop provides additional fiber along the path to be used for fiber repairs, splices, etc.
A network device that filters and forwards a piece of a message (also called packets) between network segments.
With the advent of broadband as a telecommunications resource, the first method of the Internet that emerged involved a number of Tier 1 Internet providers connection to one another and forming a central trunk or superhighway that allowed a user to access any site anywhere on the globe. ISPs functioned as commercial on-ramps to the superhighway and charged users for access and bandwidth. Today, traffic on the Tier 1 Internet is decreasing as more and more traffic is retained by Regional networks that offers users better connections to content that is stored closer. Smaller providers who engage in the practice of peering with other networks, but who still purchase IP transit to reach some portion of the Internet.
A marketing term used by telecommunications providers to describe the availability of voice (telephone), video (cable television) and data (Internet), generally “bundled” as a combined, discounted service. Digital Subscriber Line Internet Service that provides enough bandwidth to support applications like high-definition television. VDSL can achieve data rates up to approximately 51.8 Mbps, making it the fastest available form of DSL. Voice over Internet Protocol. Technology that enables broadband users to send and receive telephone calls over the Internet.
Wavelength-division Multiplexing. A method of combining multiple signals on laser beams at various infrared (IR) wavelengths for transmission along fiber optic media. Each laser is modulated by an independent set of signals.
Wireless Fidelity. Strictly speaking WiFi refers to the wireless standard IEEE 802.11. WiFi is used to create wireless networks which use radio transmissions over short distances to create connections between devices without wires or cables.
WiMax
A mobile wireless technology with significantly greater range than WiFi.
Wavelength
Commonly referred to as a Wave. Wavelength (i.e. color of light) is the distance between identical points in the adjacent cycles of a wave form signal propagated in space or along a wire.
