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The Layman's Guide - Terms and Definitions |
New technology can be difficult to understand. Ever worse, information
about new technology is often so full of acronyms that even simple
concepts become impossible to understand. To assist your understanding,
we've put together a "Layman's Guide" defining some of the terms you
will see scattered throughout the site.
- Broadband:
A network that provides connection to the Internet at much faster
speeds than a traditional dial-up modem. Typically broadband
connections are always connected so there is no need to connect
everytime you want to go online.
- UHB (Ultra High Bandwidth): A
next-generation broadband network that is significantly faster than
today's broadband networks (Cable/DSL). We define UHB as a network that
provides access at speeds of 100Mbps or greater. As a comparison, DSL
and Cable networks provide access at speeds between 1 and 4 Megabits
per second.
- Fiber Optics: A
technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit
data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each
of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves.
- FTTP (Fiber to the Premises): A fiber optic network where the fiber is connected directly to the consumer's house, apartment, or business.
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol):
A mechanism for routing a telephone call over the Internet instead of
over the traditional telephone system. VoIP significantly reduces long
distance costs and can support a much richer set of features
thantraditional telephone lines.
- PON (Passive Optical Network): A
fiber optic network that uses no active components such as amplifiers
to deliver a signal. A Passive Optical Network uses simple splitters
todistribute a signal. Becasue PONs do not use any active components,
they are easier to install, maintain, and upgrade.
- GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network): A specific type of PON that can transmit data at speeds greater than 1 gigabit per second.
- Mbps (Megabits per second): A measure of the amount of data that can be transfered in a second. 1Mbps equals 1 million bits per second. A bit is simply a 1 or 0.
- Gbps (Gigabits per second): A measure of the amount of data that can be transfered in a second. 1Gbps equals 1 billion bits per second. A bit is simply a 1 or 0.
- DSL (Digital Subscriber Line):
A type of broadband technology that uses your existing copper telephone
lines to transmit data. The maximum speed of a DSL line is 8Mbps but
most service offerings provided betwene 1 and 3 Mbps to the customer.
- VoD (Video On Demand): A
video delivery system where a movie, TV show, sporting event, etc. is
delivered to the customer after the customer requests (and usually pays
for) it. Existing VoD systems are used to deliver pay-per-view movies,
sporting events, and other premium content.
- HDTV (High Definition Television): A
new broadcast standard for video. High defenition video contains more
data than a standard definition video stream which gives HD video a
much better picture quality.
- SDTV (Standard Definition TV): The current standard for video broadcasts.
- PPP (Public-Private-Partnership): A partnership or agreement between a public, governement entity and a private entity.
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Terms and Definitions