How Does Broadband Cable Work?

Data Communication

Broadband cable can be used for many different applications. For example, in the area of "data communication," a broadband cable is used to transmit more than one piece of data at the same time so transmission speeds are significantly faster than normal. This essentially describes an instance where two or more signals are being transmitted using the same cable.

DSL

Broadband cable has uses in the realm of consumer-level Internet access. In DSL (short for "digital subscriber line"), a broadband cable is used to send data obtained from the Internet via a high-bandwidth transmission directly to a user's computer. This means that using a broadband cable, more data will be able to be sent faster than using a regular telephone line. With the appropriate broadband modem, the user's computer will be able to process this information equally as fast.

Ethernet

In terms of Ethernet, a broadband cable is used to send a signal using the full bandwidth available. This means the cable is transferring information just as quickly as the computer is able to send it. Previously, the computer was transferring at one speed that was significantly higher than the speed the cable could handle, which would result in slow transfers over networks. With a broadband cable, the cable itself is no longer a limitation.