Ø Introduction to Broadband

Broadband is a high bandwidth connection to a network which is always-on and available for a flat rate.

Always-on means no dialing up, your computer is permanently connected. Flat rate means no usage charging. Charges should be based on the bandwidth of your connection.

Broadband replaces existing dialup connections and is available using ADSL or Cable.

Other technologies such as Satellite, Wireless are also available which can provide broadband in some areas.

Ø Broadband Technologies

ADSL

This stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It transforms the standard telephone line between a local telephone exchange and a customer's telephone socket into a high-speed digital line. It is called 'asymmetric' because it moves data more quickly from exchange to customer than from customer to exchange. This makes it particularly suitable for applications where customers expect to receive more data than they transmit such as use of internet surfing, receiving digital audio-visual material and working from home over corporate intranets.

SDSL

Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line is a symmetric service - the upstream speed is the same as the downstream speed. SDSL can deliver high-speed data communications at up to 1.54 Mbps. SDSL is a true business class product. SDSL has symmetrical speeds that make it possible to host Web or e-mail servers, even perform video conferencing and e-commerce.

Cable

Cable Modem currently supplied in Britain by NTL and Telewest, is another technology method used for delivery of broadband services. It uses coaxial cable, the same as used by digital TV.

Wireless Broadband

Uses a transmitter with line of sight to a receiver. It requires a local transmitter with clear line of sight from the receiver. The radius reaches 10-15km from the mast and can utilise a variety of frequencies depending on the technology deployed.

Mains-Supply broadband

This method uses the 240v mains supply to deliver broadband at up to 2Mb/s – and uses microwave frequencies to carry the data over the mains cables. It does require the area sub-station within 300m to be enabled, but offers the benefit of sending and receiving data at the same speed.

Satellite Broadband

This utilises a two-way satellite dish, which uploads and downloads from the internet through a geo-stationary satellite. This again requires a dedicated dish and receiver.

Bluetooth & 802.11

Both are wireless technologies - more for wireless networking than broadband supply. They will probably find application at the edges of all these other technologies for broadband supply e.g. connecting users without the limits of any of the other available systems.

802.11 is normally used as short range system but can have much greater ranges when using aerials.

Ø How to do Voice over IP (VoIP)

There is a lot of hype around Voice over IP, is it really a benefit to small businesses and can it really save you money?

Through companies like Skype you can use your desktop computer, laptop or even Wi-Fi enabled PDA to make phone calls anywhere in the world for a fraction of the cost of a traditional land line call.

If the other person you are calling also has Skype then the call will be free, but you can also call from a Skype phone to almost any other phone number in the world, for a small fee of around 1.1p per minute.

What about the quality?

The quality of calls has improved immeasurably and is getting close to the levels of conventional land line calls, the quality is certainly as good as mobile phone connections these days, one thing to remember though is that you cant make calls to emergency services, so you will still need to keep your normal land line phone.

How would I benefit from VoIP?

If you have family, friends, suppliers or customers located around the country or overseas then you can save money on calls.

For instance if you have a son or daughter who lives in Australia then you can install the software on each machine and call each other for free, if they don’t have a PC then you can “call out” to a land line for around 1.1p/minute.

Suppliers in Germany, France and the USA? If they install the software on their machines you can call them for free, if not you can call them for a flat fee of 1.1p/minute.

What do I need to make it work?

• PC
• Mac or
• PDA (pocket PC)

using one of the following operating systems:

Windows | Mac OS X | Linux | Pocket PC

• connection to the internet (preferably broadband)
• USB phone (typically £30) – plugs into a USB socket on the computer

Or

• Speakers and a microphone plugged in to the PC

For more information or to download the software go to: www.skype.com