internet on cable tv


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INTRODUCTION

Internet was first intended for development and research work, it quickly surpassed that initial role, especially when the first big commercial computer companies, like Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, IBM and later, many other companies in fields other than Computer Science, began to connect to Internet. Practically speaking, today there is not a form of media which did not mention the word Internet at least once, whether the local newspaper or television program. Today available Internet access is not affordable to all desired consumers due to various reasons. Therefore, the availability of Internet on an ordinary TV set has been the consumer’s long cherished desire ever since the Internet gained popularity. The Internet service providers also wanted a foolproof and speedy via media to render their service as many households as possible.



WHAT IS CABLE ACCESS?
How It Works?
Cable modems connect you to the Internet through a coaxial cable, often using the same line that carries your cable TV service. Like DSL, cable service is an always-on connection, which means you don’t have to dial into your Internet service provider each time you want to hop on the Net.
Although most standard Internet service providers offer DSL, most don’t offer cable Internet service. To sign up for cable access, you must go through your local cable TV Company.

Who Can Get It?
Approximately 44 million homes in the United States and Canada-about 40 percent are currently equipped to receive cable Internet access. The remaining 60 percent can’t receive cable Internet access because the local cable company doesn’t offer it. Traditional TV cable is a one-way service in which your cable provider feeds information, namely TV programming, to you. To offer two-way Net access, cable companies have to upgrade their networks with fiber-optic lines and two-way data transmission capabilities, which is expensive and time-consuming. Local companies without a large enough demand for high-speed Internet access probably won’t ever upgrade. Still, if you live in a remote region, you may have a better chance of getting cable Internet service than other high-speed options. To get DSL, for instance, you must live within two to three miles of the local phone company’s switching facility.




AN OVERVIEW OF PRESENT INTERNET ACCESS

India is amongst the few countries in the world that has more cable homes than telephone subscribers. Statistics states that by the end of year 1999 India had an estimated twenty eight million cable homes but less than twenty four million telephone connections. Less than half of these telephone connections are installed in consumer homes. The remaining telephones are installed in commercial establishments and offices. Further the Internet access cost is less than Rs. 10 per hour in the most competitive market, but the telephone cost alone for an hour is Rs. 24.
According to National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), there are approximately 4.3 million PCs in the country. In the view of above facts, the Internet access through cable TV delivered on ordinary TV sets offer the higher access potential. It also provides lower access time and higher speed of data transfer.


CONCEPT OF INTERNET OVER CABLE TV

Recently, an idea came to mind about data transfer through a cable TV network that uses existing cable TV connections for digital data transfer. Due to the existing connections, such forms of data transfer can be relatively inexpensive, which is convenient for providers and officers of Internet services, as well as for the end users. In this case, we would get a connection capable of up to 30 Mbps to our computer at home for less money than some people spend on their monthly telephone bill. Currently in the USA, for approximately USD 50-100 monthly you can have a connection to Internet through a cable TV network with a speed of 10 Mbps. In contrast to a telephone line, for that amount of money users can browse all important to know that in a single second we can transfer more information than through a standard telephone line (28.8 kbps) in a few minutes or through ISDN, which offers slightly more powerful data transfer (128 kbps).