Cable television

:Cable TV redirects here. For the Hong Kong-based cable television network, see Cable TV (Hong Kong).

Other cable-based services

Coaxial cables are capable of bi-directional carriage of signals as well as the transmission of large amounts of data. Cable television signals use only a portion the bandwidth available over coaxial lines. This leaves plenty of space available for other digital services such as broadband internet and digital telephony.

Related Topics:
Broadband internet - Digital telephony

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Unlike North America, many cable operators in Europe have already introduced telephone services, which operate through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), just like existing fixed line operators.

Related Topics:
North America - Europe - Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

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Broadband internet is achieved over coaxial cable by using cable modems to convert the network data into a type of digital signal that can be transferred over coaxial cable. One problem with some cable systems is the older amplifiers placed along the cable routes are unidirectional thus in order to allow for uploading of data the customer would need to use an analog modem to provide for the upstream connection. This limited the upstream speed to 56k and prevented the always-on convenience broadband internet typically provides. Many large cable systems have upgraded or are upgrading their equipment to allow for bi-directional signals, thus allowing for greater upload speed and always-on convenience, though these upgrades are expensive.

Related Topics:
Cable modem - Network

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Another service being added to many cable systems is digital telephone service. Digital telephony is accomplished by installing a special telephone interface at the customer's premises that coverts the analog signals from the customer's in-home wiring into a digital signal, which is then sent on the local loop (replacing the analog last mile, or POTS) to the company's switching center, where it is connected to the PSTN. The biggest obstacle to digital telephone service is the need for nearly 100% reliable service for emergency calls. One of the standards available for digital cable telephony, PacketCable, seems to be the most promising and able to work with the Quality of Service demands of traditional analog POTS service. The biggest advantage to digital cable telephone service is similar to the advantage of digital cable TV, namely that data can be compressed, resulting in much less bandwidth used than a dedicated analog circuit-switched service. Other advantages include better voice quality and perhaps future integration to a VoIP network providing cheap or unlimited nationwide and international calling. Note that in most cases, digital cable telephone service is separate from cable modem service being offered by many cable companies and does not rely on IP traffic or the Internet.

Related Topics:
Local loop - Last mile - POTS - PSTN - PacketCable - Quality of Service - VoIP - Cable modem

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A chart showing the North American cable television bandplan can be found here.

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Cable television is facing increasing competition from satellite television.

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See also: List of cable companies

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