Explanation of broadband terms - Part 2 of 4

Moneysupermarket.com has compiled a glossary of terms to help you understand the jargon associated with broadband so you can make an informed choice on the right broadband package for you.

Consequently, we have compiled an exclusive glossary to help you bust through that broadband jargon.

Cable broadband:

Much like cable television and telephone services, broadband is carried through a fibre optic cable buried under the ground.

Chatroom:

An online area, or part of a website, where two or more people can ´talk´ in real time by typing messages.

Contract:

The deal you make with the broadband provider. They agree to supply the service, and you agree to stay with them, for a set period of time — usually twelve or eighteen months.

Convergence:

The unification of services such as Orange combining its mobile phone and broadband operations to offer cheaper deals.

Data:

A general term for videos, text, pictures or sound stored on, processed, sent or received by your computer.

Dial-up internet:

This is when your computer calls your Internet Service Provider (ISP) as you connect to the internet — this can normally be heard with a dialling tone. This means you have to establish a new connection each time rather than staying online as with broadband.

Download:

Moving files from the internet on to your PC.

Download restriction:

The amount of data you are restricted to over a set period. For example a broadband package could offer a 3GB download restriction meaning you are limited to 3GB over a predetermined (usually monthly) period.

Downstream:

This is data that goes from the internet to your computer — so for example emails, downloading from the internet, etc.

DSL:

Digital Subscriber Line - this technology transfers data over a phone line without interference.

DSLAM:

This is technology used at a phone company´s central office that connects the carrier to the subscriber loop and in turn the customer´s PC.

In part three we´ll continue to examine broadband from landlines to modems.