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Service	Bandwidth	Specs	Comments	10 Mbyte Download Time
POTS (DS0)	Less than 56 kbps Symetric	Point to Point Circuit Switched Service.	Plain old telephone service. FCC does not require minimum bandwidth; service providers are not obligated to provide a minimum level of bandwidth over POTS. Some state PUCs may require a minimum level of service. Analog service that requires analog modems. See ISPs;	23 min
ISDN	64-128 kbps Symetric	Point to Point 2 B channels used for transmission - 64 kbps 1 D channel for control 16 kbps Circuit switched service.	Digital Requires ISDN modems or terminal adapters. May be available where DSL is not. Has greater range than DSL.	10.4 min
Satellite	500 kbps Asymetric		Upload may be via alternative path such as dial up or it may be via satellite (more expensive) at rates such as 150 kbps. Generally requires line of site to satellite.	2.7 min
xDSL	Varying speeds up to 1.544 mbps Asymetric	Point to Point over copper pair Packet Switched Service	Carriers traffic between user and central office. Requires DSL modem on user end and DSLAM at the Central Office to split voice and packet data - voice goes to PTN and packets go to packet network. From the DSLAM, traffic might go to an ATM cloud or it might go to point. Service is available within a limited range (ie., one mile, 1800 feet) of the Central Office. Utilizes frequencies over copper wires above voice service. Offered by ILECs and CLECs; multiple services possible in single market.	0.9 min
T1/DS1	1.544 Mbps	Point to Point Copper or fiber		0.9 min
ISDN PRI	1.544 Mbps
E-1	2.05 Mbps
aDSL	6.1 Mbps Down 640 Kbps Up	FTTC	TDM, ITU G.992, with TWP subloop
Cable	20 Mbps down 300kbps up	Coax Cable shared network to headend	Restricted selection of ISP. Subscription cost is typically on top of cable TV subscription cost. Home Networking may be restricted. Downloading of streaming media may be restricted. See Open Access Debate.	0.07 min at peak
T3 DS3	45 Mbps	Point to Point Fiber	Short distance over coax
OC1	52 Mbps
vDSL	55 Mbps Down 640 Kbps Up	FTTC	TDM, ITU G.992, with TWP subloop TDM, ITU G. 992, with TWP and Coax Subloop (1.5 Mbps up)
BPON	100 Mbps down 3 Mbps up	FTTH	ATM ITU G.983
OC3	155 Mbps
OC12	622 Mbps
APON	622 Mbps down 155 Mbps Up	FTTH	ATM, Standard ITU G.983
EPON	1 Gbps down 622 Mbps Up	FTTH	Ethernet, IEEE 803.3ah
aDSL	1 Ghz down 6.1 Mbps Up	FTTC	With TWP and Coax Subloop, TDM, G.992
OC48	2488 Mbps
GPON	2.5 Gbps Down 622 Mbps Up	FTTH	Ethernet, IEEE 802.3ah
OC192	10 Gbps
OC768	40 Gbps
Frame Relay	56 kbps - 44 Mbps	Point to Multi Point Packet Switched Service	Transport of traffic between pop and pop. Access to the pop must otherwise be provisioned. Access multiple locations via single interface. .
ATM Cell Relay	1.5 Mbps - 155 Mbps	Point to Multi Point Packet Switched Service	Transport of traffic between pop and pop. Access to the pop must otherwise be provisioned. Access multiple services
Sonet		Packet Switched Service
VPOP/DAS			Combination of frame relay and circuit switched service. Designed for ISPs. Traffic aggregated at frame relay POP, then connects to ISP.

LATA - Local Access Transport Area - created with the break up of ATT, regions where loca telephone companies would be permitted to provide local service. The Modified Final Agreement and the Communications Act prohibited BOCs from providing service across LATA lines (interLATA service, otherwise known as long distance). The Telecommunications Act of 1996 revised this restriction, indicating that when BOCs had met a 14 point check list and permitted competition into their market, they would be permitted to enter into the interLATA market. Section 271.

Broadband Applications

How much bandwidth do I need?
The bandwidth required for specific applications is a great way to understand what applications are currently feasible and what applications need more bandwidth.

Application	Required Bandwitdh
Electronic Banking	Minimum: 40Kbs Ideal: 400Kbs*
Telegaming	Minimum: 40Kbs Ideal: 600 Kbs*
Home Shopping	Minimum: 40Kbs Ideal: 1.5Mbs to 7Mbs*
Electronic Newspapers	Minimum: 40Kbs Ideal: 2Mbs*
Low Quality Audio	56 kbps ***
Video Telephony	Minimum: 70Kbs Ideal: 200Kbs*
VoIP	90 kbps *** VoIP: Per Call Bandwidth Consumption, BosCom Voice Over IP - Per Call Bandwidth Consumption, CISCO Calculating VoIP Bandwidth Consumption, Network Observations (May 20, 2008)
Audio on Demand	Minimum: 110Kbs Ideal: 700 Kbs *
Low Videoconferencing Videoconferencing Videoconferencing	0.384 Mbps MPEG-4** Minimum: 110Kbs Ideal: 800Kbs * ~ 6 mbps ***
Teleworking	Minimum: 110Kbs Ideal: 1.5Mbs to 7Mbs* ~
Tele or E-Learning	Minimum: 110Kbs Ideal: 1.5Mbs to 7Mbs*
TeleMedicine	Minimum: 110Kbs Ideal: 1.5Mbs to 7Mbs* ~
FCC Definition of Broadband	200 kbps [Sec. 706]
Near Video on Demand	Minimum: 1Mbs Ideal: 1.5Mbs to 7Mbs *
Video in Window (YouTube)	1.5 mbps MPEG-1[ ] [*]
Movies on Demand	Minimum: 1Mbs Ideal: 1.5Mbs to 7Mbs*
Digital Television	Minimum: 1Mbs Ideal: 7Mbs (Canada Broadband Task Force)
VHS Quality Full Screen	1 to 2 mbps MPEG-2 **
Broadcast NTSC	2 to 3 mbps MPEG-2 **
Broadcast PAL	4 to 6 mbps MPEG-2 **
Professional PAL	8 to 10 mbps MPEG-2 **
Broadcast HDTV	12 to 20 mbps MPEG-2 [] [*]
DVB Satellite Multiplex	28 to 40 mbps MPEG-2 Transport **
Professional HDTV	32 to 40 mbps MPEG-2 **
Contribution TV	34 to 50 mbps MPEG-2-I **
Contribution HDTV	140 mbps MPEG-2-I **
Raw NTSC	168 mbps uncompressed **
Raw PAL	216 mbps uncompressed **
Raw Contribution PAL	270 mbps uncompressed **
Raw HDTV	1000 to 1500 mbps uncompressed **

*Source: TechNet Broadband Primer Jan 2002
** Source: http://erg.abdn.ac.uk/research/future-net/digital-video/mpeg2.html
*** "High-Speed Services for Internet Access as of June 30, 2006," Industry Analysis and Technology Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal Communications Commission

Broadband Demand Study Final Report , Telecommunications Research Group, University of Colorado (November 2002)

Links and Sources

Applied Professional Training, Inc., Comparison of Internet Access Technologies
Kevin Grover, Telecom Line Speeds
Keene Public Library Speed of Internet Connections
telephone connection speeds
Technical Seminars: Intro to Data Communications
Circuit Line Speeds
Computer News: Tech Terms
Osburn: Link Speeds
Hartford Schools Chapter 6: Wans / Network Protocols

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