Data Services over Cable
The second major market for two-way cable is data, such as Internet access. The intent of data services over cable is to provide high-speed Internet access for computers with Ethernet or Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. Personal computers, including recent models of Apple Computer, support both Ethernet and USB. Cable networks can provide high-speed, always connected services for relatively low costs. Cost advantages arise because cable provides a natural multiplexing function. That is, one cable port at the head end can connect hundreds of users simultaneously. Telephone networks, on the other hand, require a separate line card for each phone line. This cost advantage is discussed in [Gillett].
Accordingly, the ...
Get Residential Broadband, Second Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
