VoIP For Dummies

Chapter 6

Going Broadband

In This Chapter

Transmitting over broadband

Setting up VoIP over cable

Setting up VoIP over DSL

In the beginning, the only public access to the Internet was through slow, dialup modems, which had a typical maximum speed of 56 Kbps. During the 1990s, people clamored for higher-bandwidth alternatives. Much of the demand centered on access to the Internet for applications such as e-mail and e-commerce. Companies wanted more bandwidth also to make use of telecommuting applications that remote employees could access through corporate networks.

By 1998, two high-bandwidth options, which had been in development for several years, were finally rolling out to the public. These two types are now known as cable modem (CM) and digital subscriber line (DSL). Because both options increased the available bandwidth when compared to a traditional modem connection, they were labeled as broadband. Actual throughput varied, but the minimum speed for both broadband types was 256 Kbps, and the maximum speed was 1.536 Mbps.

At the same time that the media coined the term broadband, the term narrowband began to be used to characterize older, slower connections on POTS lines. ...