Glossary of Terms

There are a LOT of technical terms thrown around when talking about broadband! Here are a few common terms and what they mean in everyday language!

Broadband

Broadband generally refers to a network that can deliver multiple services, including internet access, cable television, voice services, and more. Broadband is often specifically referred to as high-speed internet access. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines broadband internet as having speeds of at least 25 Mbps (megabits per second) downloads and 3 Mbps upload. Although that remains the FCC definition of broadband, it is considered inadequate by most in today's world. A more modern definition of 100 Mbps dowload and 100 Mbps upload is considered a more reasonable standard.

Download

Download, as in "download speeds", refer to how fast information can move from the Internet to your computer or device. It is usually reflected in Mbps, or megabits per second. The higher the download speed, the quicker the data or information you have requested will arrive. Think of the Internet as a baseball pitcher and your computer as the catcher. You request a pitch, the pitcher throws it, and you catch it.

For example, when you stream a video from Netflix or another service, you are downloading the data needed to create a picture on your TV or device. 

Fiber Optics

Fiber optics is a technology in which light is used to transport information from one point to another. A fiber optic cable is a very small strand of glass (less than the width of a human hair) that uses light pulses to transmit data. Fiber optics were first used by telephone companies over 40 years ago to transmit phone calls over long distances. As the technology has gotten better, use of fiber has expanded because fiber is capable of almost unlimited data capacity. Modern network feature fiber optics all the way from the data center to every user, reducing the potential for interference and reliability issues.

FTTH or FTTP

Gigabit, or gigabit per second, is 1,000 megabits per second, which is equal to 1,000,000 bits of data. A gigabit internet connection is considered the gold standard for internet service providers. Fiber networks can easily delivery a gigabit in both directions (upload and download). Today's fiber networks are capable of being upgraded to even higher speeds as needed.

Gigabit

FTTH means "fiber to the home". FTTP means "fiber to the premise", where a premise can be either a home or a business. In either case it refers to a network that is 100% fiber from end to end.

Hybrid Fiber-Coax

Hybrid Fiber-Coax, or HFC, is a type of network that includes both fiber optic cables and copper coaxial cables to deliver broadband services. This is the type of network operated my most large cable companies. HFC is capable of delivery download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit but upload speeds are usually much slower. Because there are a lot of electronic devices in the network, HFC networks that are not well maintained suffer from reliability issues. Also, copper coaxial cables are susceptible to radio interference that can degrade signals and affect your end user experience. Despite these inherent disadvantages, cable companies continue to reinvest in their HFC networks, touting new platforms capable of providing multiple gigabits of download speeds.

Mbps

Mbps stands for "megabits per second". A megabit is 1,000 bits of data. The higher the Mbps of your download or upload speeds, the faster information will move back and forth from your device to the Internet.

Upload

Upload, as in "upload speeds", refer to how fast information can move from your computer or device out to the Internet. Like download speeds, upload speed is usually referred to in terms of Mbps, or megabits per second. Older technology, such as copper-based cable modem or DSL networks, have upload speeds that are much slower than download speeds. Think of your computer as the catcher throwing the baseball back to the pitcher on the mound.

For example, if you are broadcasting your child's birthday party on Facebook Live, you are uploading information from your device to the Internet so other people can download (view) it.