Fiber Glossary Fiber Glossary (February 11, 2004)

Talking to a tech-savvy person about the city's efforts to enter the telecommunications industry can make a persons' head spin, especially when it comes to the flurry of jargon that accompanies such discussions. Here's a glossary of some of the more commonly-used words and phrases.
Fiber Optics : Technology that allows the transmission of information though glass strands using light beams, or photons.
Coaxial Cable : A metal cable consisting of a conductor surrounded by another conductor (as in a cable TV) that can carry video, audio and data signals from point to point.
Broadband : High-speed data transmitted through either fiber optics or coaxial cable.
FTTH (Fiber to the Home) : A broadband technology that uses fiber optics to provide multimedia services to homes and small businesses.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) : A means of transmitting high-speed data over regular copper telephone lines.
WiFi, or Wireless Fidelity : A way of transmitting information using microwave signals.
Bandwidth : The range of data that can be sent through a connection, be it fiber, coaxial or wireless.
Mbps : A million (mega) bits per second, a measure of bandwidth.
Tbps : 109 (tera) bits per second
Upstream : The communication of data from the customer's site to the telecommunication's network.
Downstream : The communication of data from the telecommunication's network to the customer's site. -- Bill D'Agostino

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