Coaxial Cable

Many cable companies use coaxial cables to connect service for home users. It is commonly used for small business and corporate purposes in Ethernet and other forms of LANs (local area networks). A telephone company may also use coaxial cables from their central office to telephone poles near service users. The cable is called “coaxial” because it consists of a single physical channel that transmits a signal surrounded by another physical channel functioning on the same axis. Most of these cables can be inserted within a single outer sheathing. With repeaters, they have the ability to carry data over a greater distance. The coaxial cable was first introduced in 1929 and used commercially for the first time in 1941. The first cross-continental coaxial transmission system was established by AT&T in 1940. Depending on the carrier technology involved, optical fiber and twisted paired copper wires are used as alternatives to coaxial cables.