Former telecom secretary MF Farooqui has been appointed chairman of Broadband India Forum (BIF) that works on enhancing broadband potential in the country. He has replaced ex-telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh who has been appointed Chairman Emeritus of BIF. Former resident director-Regulatory Affairs at Vodafone India was elected as President at the eighth Annual General Meeting of BIF. The forum has more than 40 members which include technology providers, telecom operators, Internet service providers, cable TV operators, value added service providers and professionals.

Broadband and its Types

• High-speed internet, also commonly called broadband internet, is internet access of at least 200 Kilobits per second (Kbps).
• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is broadband internet delivered over copper phone wires. The lines are split into two frequencies: one for data and one for voice.
• Fiber-optic broadband, commonly referred to as “fiber,” is broadband internet delivered over fiber-optic lines–these use light to transmit data signals at far faster speeds than traditional copper wires or coaxial cable.
• Cable broadband internet delivers data at broadband speeds over the same cable used to deliver television data.
• Satellite broadband uses orbiting satellites to transmit and receive broadband data. Satellite broadband is primarily used in areas where terrestrial broadband technologies like DSL, fiber and cable are otherwise unavailable.
• Mobile networks are a wireless broadband technology accessible via 3G/4G/LTE enabled cellphones and smart devices like ebook readers.

Test Your GK

What is India’s rank in Broadband Penetration?