User guide

ADSL
ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line – a broadband
service (digital) that’s carried on normal copper phone wires (subscriber
lines). It uses a higher frequency spectrum than voice traffic, which is
why it doesn’t interfere with your phone calls, even though they share
the same line. It’s called ‘asymmetric’ because it’s configured so that
downloads will go faster than uploads, to optimise most people’s web
usage.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is just data capacity. Broadband services can carry huge
amounts of data. Low bandwidth or ‘narrowband’ services, like dial-up,
carry far less. Bandwidth is usually expressed in terms of data flow
– 256 kbps or 512 kbps, for example – because it translates into speed
when you’re browsing the internet.
Bits Per Second
Most internet service providers, including Telstra, rate broadband plan
speeds in kilobits per second (eg 256/126 kbps). However, most software,
including Internet Explorer and Windows®, displays download speeds in
kiloBYTES per second (kBps). One byte equals eight bits, so typical plan
speeds ‘translate’ as:
5. gLoSSARy of TERmS
Bytes
Bytes are a common unit of computer data measurement, although the
base unit is actually a ‘bit’. Each ‘bit’ (short for ‘binary digit’) is literally
a ‘1’ or a ‘0’ in the binary code that makes computing possible. And there
are eight bits in a byte. A kilobyte is generally taken to be 1,000 bytes
and a megabyte is generally taken to be a million bytes. Because of the
binary code, all computing is based on the ‘two times table’ – so they
are actually 1,024 and 1,048,576 respectively.
Broadband
‘Broadband’ is an umbrella term for high bandwidth internet services
(please see the ‘bandwidth’ definition on page 27). Telstra Business
Broadband services include ADSL and BDSL.
Download
Downloads are data that you pull ‘down’ from the internet into your
computer. That data could be anything from a web page or an email,
to a streaming video file.
Ethernet
Ethernet is a very common Local Area Network (LAN) technology.
In other words, it’s a way of connecting computers and computer
equipment. ‘Wired’ ethernet connections usually use RJ45-type connectors.
FAQS
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are literally just that, and are usually
the heart of any internet or computer information directory. You’ll find
some very useful FAQs in this guide. There are further FAQs located at
telstra.com/business in the ‘Help’ section.
PLAN SPEED KILOBITS (kbps) KILOBYTES PER SECOND (kBps)
256 32
512 64
1500 187
2827