Broadband is not a delivery method per se, but a general category that describes several different high-speed Internet access methods. Forrester Research predicts more than 27 million consumers accessing the Web via high-speed networks in 2003, with 62 percent of first-time online users choosing broadband over dial-up.

Most Internet users connect to the Internet at work or at home. At work most people experience higher speeds. The connection speed varies according to the connection type at work. The common connection types in the US are listed below:

Connection Type	Details
T-1	1.54 Mbps second. It has capacity for 24 voice or data channels
T-3	44 Mbps. T-3 lines have 672 channels for voice and/or data channels. Fiber Optic cabling or digital microwave are required for T3 lines
Fractional T-1	Fractional T-1 lines are cheaper and have a fraction of the 24-channel capacity of T-1 lines. The most common 2 Channels = 128 kbps, 4 Channels = 256 kbps, and 6 channels = 384 kbps
Fractional T-3	Fractional T-3 lines have a fraction of the 672 of T-3 lines. For example, they might have capacity of 6 T-1 or 144 channels

When connecting from home most users still use dial up modems. These speeds vary from 28.8 kbps to 56 kbps. These speeds provide very unsatisfactory experience and waits for the users. Most websites have text only versions to accommodate users connected at lower speeds. Many of the popular sites such as Yahoo! keep their interface simple for this reason also.

Home users are currently being offered services that provide higher speed, broadband Internet connections. Broadband is a data transmission scheme where multiple transmissions share a communications path. Cable modems, DSL and Satellite communication can be classified under broadband.

	DSL	Cable
Speed	512 kbps to 8 Mbps	512 kbps to 10 Mbps
Physical Medium	Twisted Pair	Coaxial Cable
Comparison to 56K modem	Up to 100 times faster download speed	Up to 500 times faster download speed. (This can vary according to number of Cable subscribers on neighborhood node).

Dial-up home access, with 93% of subscribers, continues to be the favored method of access. While Cable modem and DSL together capture only 5% of the market, access growth rates for the quarter show that DSL is on the upswing:

• Dial-up grew only 10%
• Internet TV actually dropped 0.2%
• Cable modems jumped 44%
• DSL, starting from a limited base, grew 183%
• DSL, starting from a limited base, grew 183%

BROADBAND WARS

DSL and Cable providers are competing fierce to win over home users. Cable providers have had an earlier start due to their infrastructure base and since they were first on the block with a high-speed solution.

Cable networks are well positioned to deliver broadband services such as video on demand and digital cable. Providing voice transmission on cable is difficult.

The telephone network provides voice services easily, and adding DSL to a phone line increases is capacity multiple times. For example, a household may have five phone lines and a high-speed Internet connection all over the same copper line.

Companies in both the cable and telecom camps are working feverishly to expand the capabilities of their networks. At this point, though, most people just want a fast, reliable, easy-to-use connection to the Internet that doesn't take two months to install. For this reason, cable modems may end up being the choice for most consumers, regardless of functionality. Businesses, in contrast, need the speed and security that DSL can guarantee.

All analysts unanimously agree that the number of users accessing the net using the broadband technologies will increase. What they do not agree on is which technology will win the broadband battle, as illustrated by the graphs below.