April 26: Technology is evolving quickly and the internet is a part of technology that is also evolving with time. Just a decade ago or so, 3G was the next biggest thing and we all were happy with 3G but now we don’t even want to settle for 4G, all of us are waiting for 5G. This is because of the evolution of technology.

There was a time when being able to access the internet and create a webpage was something amazing but now we have seen technology evolve so much that these things seem like nothing to us. Currently, more than 60% of the world’s population actively uses the internet which is a very huge number. 

In India, there are two kinds of internet connections available, the traditional dial-up internet connection which is non-existent, and broadband, which encompasses all the types of internet connections that are going to discuss below.

Broadband is the type of internet connection that allows you to access high-speed internet through cables or wirelessly. It includes various internet connection types such as DSL, Cable Modem, Fiber Optic, etc, all of which are popular in India. Now, let’s have a brief look at various types of internet connections that are prevalent in India:

DSL

DSL or Digital Subscriber Line is the most common kind of internet connection that is used to transmit data across wires of a network. Most commonly, ADSL or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is deployed across the country. It offers internet to a huge number of users in India and it is preferred because phone lines have a much larger capacity that can manage both the internet and the wired telephone service on the same phone line. 

After the setup, the phone wire is connected to a modem provided by the ISP that is made by companies like D-Link, or Tenda, and then the internet can be accessed. DSL is the most widely used option since most parts of the country have access to phone services and it can be used simultaneously along with a phone. In India, you would find DSL internet to be prevalent across the country along with cable internet.

Cable Internet

Cable internet is another type of internet connection that is prevalent in India and also throughout the world because this type of internet uses the same coaxial cables as are used for cable TV and doesn’t require any extra cables or anything else. This type of internet connection is usually included with phone and TV bundles.

The Internet Service Provider ensures that proper wiring is in place for cable internet and links the coaxial wires with a modem made by a manufacturer like TP-Link (which excels in manufacturing internet modems) and configures it through the default gateway to get the connection up and running. The connection originates from a node that serves all the connections in a neighbor. This type of internet connection is able to transmit at high speeds but it can slow down during peak times when multiple users are using the internet at the same time.

Fiber Optic

Fiber Optic Internet is currently the latest internet connection technology available that can transmit ultra-high-speed internet. This type of internet connection uses special fiber optic cables that transmit data using optical fibers which are transparent fibers made by drawing glass or plastic to a very thin diameter. Because of the material used in these cables, they provide high-quality and high-speed internet continuously. 

If we compare Fiber Optic to DSL then both of these are opposite. One is on one end of the extreme while the other is on the other end. As compared to DSL, fiber optic can transmit data at much faster rates at prices comparable to DSL. The only disadvantage with fiber optic is that it is not universally available since it requires a special kind of wiring and equipment. ISPs are expanding their coverage throughout the country but currently, it is only available in select cities.

Cellular Internet

Another alternative available is the cellular internet which can be used to access the internet using a mobile network. It differs from other types of internet connections since it can be used to access the internet over the air through the closest cellular tower. The speed of this kind of internet connection depends on your position close to the tower. If you are closer to the tower then speeds will be fast and vice versa. In India, you can easily get 4G LTE connectivity throughout the country.

Satellite Internet

As the name suggests, Satellite internet doesn’t use cables or cellular towers, instead, it uses satellites circling overhead to access the internet. This type of internet connection is not very commonly used in India and it is prone to be disrupted by bad weather.

The internet is accessed by using a unique dish to connect with the satellites in the orbit of the earth. Satellite internet is preferred in areas where other options such as DSL, cable internet, or cellular internet are not available.(KNS)