The use of cable modems requires certain changes be made to the current cable network, but once those changes are complete, the services offered by cable companies may expand exponentially. The implications of these advances not only involve better service for customers, but the possible extinction of other more expensive services with lower performance, and the obsolescence of companies that do not join the Information Superhighway. The current telephone system cannot handle data transfer rates that will display graphics, voice, or video in real-time. Therefore, several MSOs are actively seeking faster data access through cable modems. All changes made to the cabling system are transparent to each household.
Cable modems differ from telephone modems in their downstream and upstream rates.
Downstream rate is the amount of data that may be received by the user per second, and upstream rate is the rate at which data is transmitted by the user. Telephone modems can handle equal downstream and upstream rates of up to 28.8 Kbps. Asymmetric architectures involve the use of two separate media for upstream and downstream communication, and the upstream data flow is much slower than the downstream. Symmetric architectures involve the use of one medium for both upstream and downstream communication, with upstream data flow equal to that of downstream data flow. With the capabilities of cable modems, especially when compared to telephone modems or other services such as ISDN, the service possibilities seem endless.