NT1310: Week 1 Data on Fixed Line vs. Cellular Debate

Wired Viruses Cellular Networks While the majority of end user these days have hand held cellular devices, many of them think it ends there. Most cellular calls still end up utilizing the fixed wires that have been installed worldwide. While cellular coverage can degrade and is even non-existent in some areas of the United States, the copper cables and fiber that have been installed since the late over the last century plus are there to pick up these users. When first thinking of fixed line networks they think of the coaxial cable (coax) which connects to their television and twisted pair terminated with a RG-11 plug for their phones and faxes. There two variation of coax that are used in networking, thicknet (RG8) and thinnet (RG58). The RG6 cable is what most people are familiar with; this is what is used from the demarcation point to the customer by most cable providers. RG59 can be used in homes as a cheaper alternative to the more expensive cable since there is a much shorter distance to travel. The cost per foot of coaxial cable varies with type, amount purchase and the vendor. It can be as low as eight cents per foot and be as high as three dollars a foot. (Price Machine) Twisted pair comes in two varieties, shield (STP) and unshielded (UTP). The name describes the cabling completely, there are two pairs of cables twisted together in order to reduce cross talk between the wires. Phone line in houses and businesses still use USP for analog telephone and fax machines to this day. UTP comes in many varieties and is constantly being built upon. Cat5e, Cat6, Cat7, and now Cat 8 cables are available to businesses and end users today. With this standard pushing 40 Gigabytes per second the only question remains is what are the full limitations of copper? STP is nothing more than adding extra shielding to reduce crosstalk in the UTP standards. These are extremely cost effective networking cables and are easier to install than coax. Twisted pair is more