Cable modem

A cable modem is a type of modem that provides access to a data signal sent over the cable television infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access, taking advantage of unused bandwidth on a cable television network. They are commonly found in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and USA. In USA alone there were 22.5 million cable modem users during Q1 2005, up from 17.4 million in Q1 2004.
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<communications, hardware> A type of modem that allows people to access the Internet via their cable television service.
A cable modem can transfer data at 500 kbps or higher, compared with 28.8 kbps for common telephone line modems, but the actual transfer rates may be lower depending on the number of other simultaneous users on the same cable.
Industry pundits often point out that the cable system still does not have the bandwidth or service level in many areas to make this feasible. For example, it has to be capable of two-way communication.
See also: DOCSIS.
(2000-12-19)