Broband Technology, New Media, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, and Data Center

Broadband Technology

Broadband technology is the always-open gateway to a new world of Internet-connected services delivered at lightning-fast speeds to homes, offices and businesses. It also is fostering a new class of consumer- and business-related services. Broadband technology is becoming one of the key tools to help business compete effectively in the local, regional, national, and international marketplace.

One of the key issues facing the implementation of a ubiquitous broadband network for Today's Information Highway is the need for complete interconnectivity and interoperability between existing and emerging communications networks. It therefore makes sense that a strong research activity in this area should be a cornerstone of any communications R&D program, and particularly in countries with large geography, unique population distribution and mix of wired and wireless infrastructure. 

The mission of the Today's broadband network technologies is to address key issues such as: interoperability between wireline and wireless services; network standards and security; and the convergence of communications, broadcast and computer technologies. A strong and complementary research program in optoelectronics and photonics develops enabling technologies to increase network capacity and versatility. 

Types of Broadband Connections

(ATLAS, CERN, Switzerland - Alvin Wei-Cheng Wong)

[BROADBAND.GOV]: Broadband includes several high-speed transmission technologies such as:

• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
• Cable Modem
• Fiber
• Wireless
• Satellite
• Broadband over Powerline (BPL)
  

The broadband technology you choose will depend on a number of factors. These may include whether you are located in an urban or rural area, how broadband Internet access is packaged with other services (like voice telephone and home entertainment), price, and availability.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

The following are types of DSL transmission technologies:

• Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) – used primarily by residential customers, such as Internet surfers, who receive a lot of data but do not send much. ADSL typically provides faster speed in the downstream direction than the upstream direction. ADSL allows faster downstream data transmission over the same line used to provide voice service, without disrupting regular telephone calls on that line.
• Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) – used typically by businesses for services such as video conferencing, which need significant bandwidth both upstream and downstream.

Faster forms of DSL typically available to businesses include:

• High-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL); and
• Very High-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL).

Cable Modem

• Cable modem service enables cable operators to provide broadband using the same coaxial cables that deliver pictures and sound to your TV set.
• Most cable modems are external devices that have two connections, one to the cable wall outlet and the other to a computer. They provide transmission speeds of 1.5 Mbps or more.
• Subscribers can access their cable modem service simply by turning on their computers without dialing-up an ISP. You can still watch cable TV while using it. Transmission speeds vary depending on the type of cable modem, cable network, and traffic load. Speeds are comparable to DSL.

Fiber

• Fiber, or fiber optic, is a newer technology available for providing broadband. Fiber optic technology converts electrical signals carrying data to light and sends the light through transparent glass fibers about the diameter of a human hair. Fiber transmits data at speeds far exceeding current DSL or cable modem speeds, typically by tens or even hundreds of Mbps.
• The actual speed you experience will vary depending upon a variety of factors, such as how close to your computer the service provider brings the fiber, and how the service provider configures the service, including the amount of bandwidth used. The same fiber providing your broadband can also simultaneously deliver voice (VoIP) and video services, including video-on-demand.
• Telecommunications providers (mostly telephone companies) are offering fiber broadband in limited areas and have announced plans to expand their fiber networks and offer bundled voice, Internet access, and video services.
• Variations of the technology run the fiber all the way to the customer’s home or business, to the curb outside, or to a location somewhere between the provider’s facilities and the customer.

Wireless

• Wireless broadband connects a home or business to the Internet using a radio link between the customer’s location and the service provider’s facility. Wireless broadband can be mobile or fixed.

• Wireless technologies using longer range directional equipment provide broadband service in remote or sparsely populated areas where DSL or cable modem service would be costly to provide. Speeds are generally comparable to DSL and cable modem. An external antenna is usually required.

• Fixed wireless broadband service is becoming more and more widely available at airports, city parks, bookstores, and other public locations called “hotspots.” Hotspots generally use a short-range technology that provides speeds up to 54 Mbps. Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology is also often used in conjunction with DSL or cable modem service to connect devices within a home or business to the Internet via a broadband connection.

• Mobile wireless broadband services are also becoming available from mobile telephone service providers and others. These services are generally appropriate for highly-mobile customers and require a special PC card with a built in antenna that plugs into a user’s laptop computer. Generally, they provide lower speeds, in the range of several hundred Kbps.

Satellite

• Just as satellites orbiting the earth provide necessary links for telephone and television service, they can also provide links for broadband. Satellite broadband is another form of wireless broadband, also useful for serving remote or sparsely populated areas.

• Downstream and upstream speeds for satellite broadband depend on several factors, including the provider and service package purchased, the consumer’s line of sight to the orbiting satellite, and the weather. Typically a consumer can expect to receive (download) at a speed of about 500 Kbps and send (upload) at a speed of about 80 Kbps. These speeds may be slower than DSL and cable modem, but download speed is about 10 times faster than download speed with dial-up Internet access. Service can be disrupted in extreme weather conditions.

Broadband over Powerline

• BPL is the delivery of broadband over the existing low and medium voltage electric power distribution network. BPL speeds are comparable to DSL and cable modem speeds. BPL can be provided to homes using existing electrical connections and outlets.

• BPL is an emerging technology, currently available in very limited areas. It has significant potential because power lines are installed virtually everywhere, alleviating the need to build new broadband facilities to every customer.

Broadband/Wi-Fi

[AT&T Broadband Services]: The definition of broadband services is changing. Wi-Fi and broadband was once about a high speed connection to the Internet at home. Now it's about a connection wherever you need it.

Customers need speed and mobility to stay connected to essential information, content and services. AT&T is an industry leader in providing broadband services that keep people connected at home and on the go.

AT&T has a unique set of assets and three networks working together to address this trend: wired residential broadband, Wi-Fi and wireless. AT&T allows you to extend your broadband connection at home into thousands of access points around the world with Wi-Fi hotspots and wireless coverage, including mobile broadband that covers nearly 80 percent of the population. That's mobility and value competitors can't offer.

Broadband Applications

(Bay Area/San Francisco, California - Jeff M. Wang)

Broadband, high-speed Internet access, can provide you with the technical capability to access a wide range of resources, services, and products that can enhance your life a variety ways. These resources, services, and products include, but are not limited to:

Education, Culture, & Entertainment

Broadband can overcome geographical and financial barriers to provide access to a wide range of educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities and resources.

Telehealth & Telemedicine

Broadband can facilitate provision of medical care to unserved and underserved populations through remote diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and consultations with specialists.

Economic Development/E-Commerce

Broadband can promote economic development and revitalization through electronic commerce (e-commerce) by:

• Creating new jobs and attracting new industries.
• providing access to regional, national, and worldwide markets.

Electronic Government (E-Government)

Electronic government can help streamline people's interaction with government agencies, and provide information about government policies, procedures, benefits, and programs.

Public Safety and Homeland Security

Broadband can help protect the public by facilitating and promoting public safety information and procedures, including, but not limited to:

• Early warning/public alert systems and disaster preparation programs.
• Remote security monitoring and real time security background checks.
• Backup systems for public safety communications networks.
  

Broadband Communication Services

Broadband provides access to new telecommunications technologies such as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allowing voice communication using the Internet.

Communications Services for People with Disabilities

Broadband permits users of Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) to use Video Relay Services (VRS) to communicate more easily, quickly, and expressively with voice telephone users.

Cloud Computing

(ATLAS, CERN, Switzerland - Alvin Wong)

Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia): Cloud computing  is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet).

Cloud computing provides computation, software applications, data access, data management and storage resources without requiring cloud users to know the location and other details of the computing infrastructure.

End users access cloud based applications through a web browser or a light weight desktop or mobile app while the business software and data are stored on servers at a remote location. Cloud application providers strive to give the same or better service and performance than if the software programs were installed locally on end-user computers.

At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of infrastructure convergence (or Converged Infrastructure) and shared services. This type of data centre environment allows enterprises to get their applications up and running faster, with easier manageability and less maintenance, and enables IT to more rapidly adjust IT resources (such as servers, storage, and networking) to meet fluctuating and unpredictable business demand.