Bandwidth Speak

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  • Access provider–A
    company that sells Internet connectivity. Examples are MTNL, VSNL, Satyam
    and Mantra.

  • Bandwidth–A
    measure of the information-carrying capacity of a transmission medium. For
    digital devices, bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be
    transmitted in a certain period of time. The larger the bandwidth, the
    greater is the amount of information that can move through a network.

    Nasscom’s Operation Bandwidth has drawn attention to India’s
    bandwidth-related problems. According to Nasscom-McKinsey Report 1999, India
    will require a bandwidth of 300GB by 2005. India’s current international
    bandwidth is estimated at 325Mbps.

  • Backbone–A
    large transmission line that carries data gathered from smaller
    interconnected lines. India does not have an Internet backbone. DoT has
    plans to set up the National Internet Backbone to cover 549 stations across
    the country.

  • Broadband–A
    type of data transmission in which a single medium-wire is used to carry
    multiple channels simultaneously. Examples are cable TV and DSL technology.

  • Collision–Collision
    occurs when one part of the network is used for different data transmissions
    at the same time. A collision results in a garbled message. There are
    collision detection techniques that can ensure proper transmission of your
    data.

  • Connectivity–Reference
    to a program’s or device’s ability to link with other programs and
    devices.

  • Data transfer–The
    outward-bound traffic from a Web site, with the exception of e-mail. This
    includes HTML, graphic, audio or video content accessed by someone viewing
    the site.

  • Digital
    subscriber line (DSL)–DSL connects the PC to the telephone exchange using
    the same copper lines as the normal telephone connection. Attaching a DSL
    modem to this connection will enable you to have a 24-hour online connection
    to the Internet. Your telephone line is free for simultaneous communication.
    In India, DSL accounts cost up to Rs 30,000, including modem and
    installation charges.

  • Integrated
    services digital network (ISDN)–A communication protocol offered by
    telephone companies to carry data, video and voice traffic. ISDN allows you
    to send digital information at speeds up to 128Kbps over the normal
    telephone network. MTNL and VSNL offer ISDN services in India.

  • Leased line–A
    permanent telephone connection between two points. A leased line is always
    active. In India, leased lines are popular in the corporate sector, although
    getting a leased line can take about 45 days.

  • Optical carrier–The
    term is used to specify the speed of fiber optic networks conforming to the
    SONET standard. A few examples are OC-1, OC-3 and OC-48, which are
    equivalent to 51.9Mbps, 155.5Mbps and 2.5Gbps, respectively.

  • Optical fiber–A
    thin strand of glass wire capable of transmitting large amounts of
    information in seconds. Information is transmitted through the optical fiber
    in the form of light. In fiber, data can travel at 60% of the speed of light–that
    means 179,876 kilometers per second. In India, various companies are into
    the business related

    to optical fiber, notable among them being Spectranet, Hughes Tele.com,
    Reliance and Enron.

  • SONET–Short for
    Synchronous Optical Network, SONET is a standard for connecting fiber-optic
    transmission systems. The international equivalent term is SDH.

  • Streaming–The
    broadcasting of sound and video over an Intranet or Internet in real time.
    This is a bandwidth intensive application and is yet to make waves in India.

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