Bandwidth

Bandwidth

Communication channels are classified as analog or digital.

Bandwidth refers to the data throughput capacity of any
communication channel. As bandwidth increases, more information
per unit of time can pass through the channel. A simple analogy
compares a communication channel to a water pipe. The larger the
pipe, the more water can flow through it at a faster rate, just as a
high capacity communication channel allows more data to flow at a
higher rate than is possible with a lower capacity channel.

In addition to describing the capacity of a communication channel,

the term "bandwidth" is frequently, and somewhat confusingly,
applied to information transport requirements. For example, it might
be specified that a broadcast signal requires a channel with a
bandwidth of six MHz to transmit a television signal without loss or
distortion. Bandwidth limitations arise from the physical properties of
matter and energy. Every physical transmission medium has a finite
bandwidth. The bandwidth of any given medium determines its
communications efficiency for voice, data, graphics, or full motion
video.

Xfinity.com/activate - Xfinity Activation Guide

Enter the guide to activate your Comcast Xfinity device online easily now!
buzzpioneer.com/OnlineService/Xfinity | Sponsored▼

ReportAdvertisem ent

Widespread use of the Internet has increased public awareness of

telecommunications bandwidth because both consumers and
service providers are interested in optimizing the speed of Internet
access and the speed with which web pages appear on computer
screens.

Analog Signals
Natural signals such as those associated with voice, music, or
vision, are analog in nature. Analog signals are represented by
a sine wave , and analog channel capacities are measured in hertz
(Hz) or cycles per second. Analog signals vary in amplitude (signal
strength) or frequency (signal pitch or tone). Analog bandwidth is
calculated by finding the difference between the minimum and
maximum amplitudes or frequencies found on the particular
communication channel.

Buy Modems: B&H

Lowest Price Modems. Today Modems Lowest Price
BHPhotoVideo.com/modems | Sponsored▼

For example, the bandwidth allocation of a telephone voice grade

channel, which is classified as narrowband , is normally about
4,000 Hz, but the voice channel actually uses frequencies from 300
to 3,400 Hz, yielding a bandwidth that is 3,100 Hz wide. The
additional space or guardbands on each side of the voice channel
serve to prevent signal overlap with adjacent channels and are also
used for transmitting call management information.

Digital Signals
ReportAdvertisem ent

Signals in computing environments are digital. Digital signals are

described as discrete, or discontinuous, because they are
transmitted in small, separate units called bits. Digital channel
capacities are measured in either bits per second (bps) or signal
changes per second, which is known as the baud rate. Although
these terms are frequently used interchangeably, bits per second
and baud rate are technically not the same. Baud rate is an actual
measure of the number of signal changes that occur per second
rather than the number of bits actually transmitted per second.
Prefixes used in the measurement of data transmission speeds
include kilo (thousands), mega (millions), giga (thousands of
millions), and tera (thousands of giga). To describe digital
transmission capabilities in bits per second, notations such as Kbps,
Mbps, Gbps, and Tbps are common.

The telephone system has been in a gradual transition from an

analog to a digital network. In order to transmit a digital signal over
a conventional analog telephone line, a modem is needed
to modulate the signal of the sender and demodulate the signal for
the receiver. The term modem is an abbreviation of modulate-
demodulate. Although the core capacity of the telephone network
has experienced an explosion in available bandwidth, local access
to homes and businesses, referred to as the local loop in the
telephone network, frequently is limited to analog modem
connections. Digital transmission is popular because it is a reliable,
high-speed service that eliminates the need for modems.

Broadband Communications
Financial and other business activities, software downloads, video
conferencing, and distance education have created a need for
greater bandwidth. The term broadband is used to refer to hardware
and media that can support a wide bandwidth. Coaxial cable and
microwave transmission are classified as broadband. Coaxial cable,
used for cable television, has a bandwidth of 500,000,000 Hz, or
500 megahertz, and microwave transmission has a bandwidth of
10,000 Hz.
ReportAdvertisem ent
The capacity potential of broadband devices is considerably greater
than that of narrowband technology, resulting in greater data
transmission speeds and faster download speeds, which are
important to Internet users. Data transmission speeds range from a
low of 14,400 bps on a low speed modem to more than ten gigabits
per second on a fiber optic cable. On the assumption that 50,000
bits represents a page of data, it takes 3.5 seconds to transmit the
page at 14,400 bps, but only 8/10 of a second at 64,000 bps. If a
page of graphics contains one million bits per page, it takes more
than a minute to transmit the page at 14,400 bps, compared to 16
seconds at 64 Kbps. Full motion video requires an enormous
bandwidth of 12 Mbps.

Upload versus Download Bandwidth

Among Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and broadband cable or
satellite links, there is considerable difference in upstream, or
upload, bandwidth and downstream, or download, bandwidth.
Upstream transmission occurs when one sends information to an
ISP whereas downstream transmission occurs when information is
received from an ISP. For example, a broadband cable modem
connection might transmit upstream at one Mbps and downstream
at ten Mbps.

Typical media used to connect to the Internet, along with upstream

and downstream bandwidths include: T3 leased lines, T1 leased
lines, cable modems, asymmetric digital subscribe lines (ADSLs),
integrated services digital networks (ISDNs), and dial-up modems.
As noted in Gary P. Schneider and James T. Perry's
book Electronic Commerce, T3 leased lines provide the fastest
speeds (44,700 kbps for both upstream and downstream speeds)
while the rates for T1 leased lines are 1,544 kbps, ISDNs are 128
kbps, and dial-up modems are 56 kbps. ADSL upstream and
downstream speeds are 640 and 9,000 kbps, respectively, while
cable modem speeds are 768 kbps upstream and 10,000 kbps
downstream.

Each of the connections has advantages and disadvantages. As the

speed of the medium increases in the broadband media beginning
with T1 lines, costs increase substantially. Although classified as
broadband, cable modems are considered optimal in price and
performance for the home user.

History of Bandwidth Research

ReportAdvertisem ent

Researchers have studied the effects of bandwidth on network

traffic since the 1920s. Research objectives have always focused
on the development of encoding techniques and technology
enhancements that allow more bits to be transmitted per unit of
time. In 1933 Harry Nyquist discovered a fundamental relationship
between the bandwidth of a transmission system and the maximum
number of bits per second that can be transmitted over that system.
The Nyquist Intersymbol Interference Theorem allows one to
calculate a theoretical maximum rate at which data can be sent.
Nyquist's Theorem encourages data communications professionals
to devise innovative coding schemes that will facilitate the maximum
transmission of data per unit of time.

In 1948, noting that Nyquist's Theorem establishes an absolute

maximum not achievable in practice, Claude Shannon of Bell Labs
provided refinements to the theorem to account for the average
amount of inherent noise or interference found on the transmission
line. Shannon's Theorem can be summarized as saying that the
laws of physics limit the speed of data transmission in a system and
cannot be overcome by innovative coding schemes.
See also Fiber Optics; Networks; Shannon, Claude E.;
Telecommunications.

Thomas A. Pollack

Bibliography
Comer, Douglas E. Computer Networks and Internets. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.

Frenzel, Carroll W. Management of Information Technology. New

York: Course Technology, 1999.

Lucas, Henry C., Jr. Information Technology for Management. New

York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.

Rosenbush, Steve. "Broadband: 'What Happened?'" Business

Week, June 11, 2001, pp. 38-41.

Schneider, Gary P., and James T. Perry. Electronic

Commerce. Canada: Course Technology, 2001.
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
 MLA
 Chicago
 APA
"Bandwidth." Computer Sciences. . Encyclopedia.com. 19 May. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Learn more about citation styles



Bandwidth
Encyclopedia of Management
COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale

Bandwidth
Bandwidth deals with how information passes through electronic
systems. Since today's business world relies heavily on online
communication, Internet research, and intranet resources,
bandwidth is a primary concern in emerging technologies. When
technicians speak of gaining or needing bandwidth, they are
referring to the ability to transmit more information through the
online connections. Many measurements involving bandwidth are
also important to companies, such as how much data is transmitted
in a continuous flow and how much data can be transmitted over a
particular time.

FACTORS AFFECTING BANDWIDTH

Bandwidth can be used in a very broad definition; in this manner, it
often refers to any need for more time, information, and space. In a
connotative sense, bandwidth can mean the number of employees
in a given department or the time constraints on a particular project.
The narrow meaning of the word bandwidth is the electrical
capacity, either analog or digital. In analog channels the rate is
defined in hertz, the difference between higher and lower
frequencies. In digital channels, the rate is defined by bits per
second.
ReportAdvertisem ent

Company bandwidth, no matter how it is received, can be limited by

several different factors, most notably the relationship between what
online applications the company is using and the services and
technology cable and DSL (digital subscriber line) providers offer.
There are several important terms used in describing bandwidth
space and a company's use of it:
 Bottleneck link bandwidth. This is the maximum rate data can travel in a given online
system, from the source to the end receiver. This definition assumes that the data is
traveling on the slowest possible path between its destinations.
 Surplus available bandwidth. This is the amount of bandwidth left over after the
company has used all of its available bandwidth in the bottleneck link scenario.
Businesses often deal with this concept since they have multiple applications and
have usually purchased a large amount of bandwidth from their provider.
 Fair-share available bandwidth. A company rarely reaches and surpasses this level
of use, unless it is pursuing aggressive or inappropriate bandwidth usage that drowns
out other users and creates a state of congestion along the provider's line. Fair-share
bandwidth is the maximum amount any business should plan on using, an amount
that neither interferes with online communication traffic nor consumes too much
space for company usage.
 Protocol-dependent available bandwidth. Based on what applications it is using, this
is the amount of bandwidth a company should expect to take. This number may be
produced by an agreement with the server or as a natural result of business
expectations. The protocol-dependent bandwidth is how much bandwidth the
company needs to run, and it lies somewhere between surplus bandwidth and fair-
share bandwidth.

GENERAL GUIDELINES ABOUT BANDWIDTH USAGE

Despite the increasing availability of high-speed Internet
connections and new ways of transferring data, bandwidth
consumption remains a concern for many Internet providers, and
businesses should be careful when purchasing and using their
bandwidth so that they are not subject to penalties or sudden price
adjustments. Consumption should be carefully monitored; this can
be done with a simple program that can be bought or downloaded
for free from certain Web sites. Bandwidth use should also be
plotted over time so that companies can see if there are any sudden
changes and where those changes may have come from. It is
possible that employees, attracted by the high-speed connection
offered by their company, will use company bandwidth for personal
downloads, which can use a large amount of available space. There
are bandwidth-management systems that can be put into place to
automatically regulate Internet usage and help undo such problems.

Some business analysts have concerns, which are summed up by

Tim Wu in a 2008 article, “OPEC 2.0.”In this piece, Wu theorizes
that bandwidth may become another scarce, necessary commodity,
in the same way that oil is today. Wu points to the control of
bandwidth in the hands of only a few companies, and the growing
need for bandwidth to run information-driven societies, as signs of
this trend. However, current bandwidth rates are neither high
enough or consequential enough to prove this theory, and although
most businesses depend on online interaction of some type,
restrictions regarding the flow of information have not yet hampered
overall productivity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Bandwidth.” Techweb, 2008. Available
from: http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm.jhtml?term=
BandWidth.

Polinksy, Sue. “Bandwidth Throttling and Small

Businesses.” Download Squad. 2008. Available
from: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/02/bandwidth-
throttling-and-small-business/.

Pujolle, G., Harry Perros, and Serge Fdida. Networking 2000. New
York: Springer Publishing, 2000.

Wu, Tim. “OPEC 2.0.” New York Times. 30 July 2008.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
 MLA
 Chicago
 APA
"Bandwidth." Encyclopedia of Management. . Encyclopedia.com. 19 May.
2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Learn more about citation styles


Bandwidth
Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce
COPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc.

BANDWIDTH

Bandwidth is the amount of data that moves along transmission

lines or circuits at a given speed. For example, the time it takes
a personal computer to load a word-processing program is
dependent upon bandwidth, as is the load time for a World Wide
Web page. Transmission speed is expressed either in bits-per-
second (bps) for digital devices such as modems, or cycles-per-
second, more commonly known as hertz (Hz), for analog devices
such as microprocessors.

When bandwidth is inadequate for the function being performed, the

slowdown that occurs is called a bottleneck. Bottlenecks can reduce
either the transmission speed of data between components of a
computer or within both local area and wide area networks. To
circumvent this problem, personal computer manufacturers have
developed machines with much faster busses—the circuits that
actually carry data throughout a computer—such as the 40 mHz VL-
bus and the 66 mHz AGP. Similarly, increased Internet traffic, and
the more sophisticated graphical applications available on the World
Wide Web, have prompted networking technology firms to develop
devices like Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Token Rings, and T1 lines as a
means of offering increased bandwidth rates to businesses and
other institutions, as well as to individuals.

FURTHER READING:
"Bandwidth." In Ecommerce Webopedia. Darien, CT: Inter-net.com,
2001. Available from e-comm.webopedia.com
"Bandwidth." In NetLingo. NetLingo Inc., 2001. Available
from www.netlingo.com

"Bandwidth." In Techencyclopedia. Point Pleasant, PA: Computer

Language Co., 2001. Available
from www.techweb.com/encyclopedia

SEE ALSO: Bandwidth Management; Connectivity, Internet;

Microprocessor
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
 MLA
 Chicago
 APA
"Bandwidth." Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce. . Encyclopedia.com. 19 May.
2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Learn more about citation styles



Bandwidth
A Dictionary of Computing
© A Dictionary of Computing 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press
2004.

Bandwidth
1. of a transmission channel. A measure of the information-carrying
capacity of the channel, usually the range of frequencies passed by
the channel. This will often consist of a single passband, but may
instead consist of several distinct (nonoverlapping) passbands.
Each passband contributes to the bandwidth of the channel a
quantity equal to the difference between its upper and lower
frequency limits; the sum of all such differences plus necessary
guard-bonds gives the total bandwidth required.

In these cases bandwidth is measured in frequency units, i.e. hertz

(Hz). If the bandwidth is considered in a transform domain other
than frequency (such as sequency) then it is measured in the
appropriate units. In defining channels and filters in the frequency
domain, bandwidth, unless otherwise defined, is assumed to be the
frequency range between the points at which the frequency
response is 3 decibels lower than the passband frequency and is
sometimes known as the half-power bandwidth.

See also band-limited channel, channel coding theorem (for

Shannon–Hartley law), Nyquist's criterion.

2.. A measure of the rate of transfer of digital information, usually

expressed in bits or bytes per second.