Some of the most common types of broadband technology are:

Digital subscriber lines (DSL): The most common broadband platform in the world today is DSL. DSL uses different frequencies to split voice and data services using the same standard phone line.

Cable modems: Cable modems are also a popular broadband technology and have flourished in economies with developed cable TV networks. Cable networks are capable of carrying different “channels” along the same physical cable. Originally, these channels carried different television channels. Now, in addition to these television channels, one channel sends data to users from the Internet and another channel sends data from users back to the Internet.

Fibre optic cable: Unlike DSL and cable technologies, which are both based on copper wire, fibre optic cable uses lasers to transmit pulses of light down extremely fine strands of silicon. Because light uses higher frequencies, fibre optic cable can carry thousands of times more data than either electric signal or radio waves. Fibre optics can theoretically provide nearly unlimited bandwidth potential.

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) and Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi): WLANs are local area networks that use electromagnetic waves to transmit and receive data over short distances, instead of using wireline networks. Mobile devices access the network by connecting, via radio, to a wireline access point that passes traffic back and forth over the network. WLANs are an effective way to share wireless Internet access from a broadband connection within a distance of 100 metres.