Networking fundamentals: the basic difference between baseband and broadband transmission is primarily about the transmission technique used on the medium.

Introduction / Context:
Baseband and broadband are two distinct signaling methods for transporting information over a physical medium. Understanding their core difference helps when selecting cabling, modulation, and multiplexing strategies for local area networks and industrial communications.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Baseband typically uses digital signaling over the entire channel bandwidth with time-division access.
• Broadband uses analog modulation and frequency-division multiplexing to carry multiple channels at once.
• We are isolating the primary technical distinction, not secondary outcomes like capacity.

Concept / Approach:
In baseband, the medium carries one signal at a time in its native digital form (e.g., Ethernet 10BASE-T). In broadband, signals are modulated onto carriers at different frequencies so several channels can coexist, as in cable systems. The foundational difference is therefore the transmission technique—how information is encoded and multiplexed on the medium.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Define baseband vs broadband by their signaling and multiplexing methods.Identify that capacity/reliability derive from, but are not the definition of, the technique.Select “Transmission” as the basic difference.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standards and textbooks describe baseband as baseband digital signaling and broadband as modulated multi-channel transmission—confirming the transmission-method distinction.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Availability, capacity, and reliability can vary with implementation; they are consequences, not the primary defining difference.

Common Pitfalls:
Equating broadband with “faster” only; while commonly true, speed is a result of how channels are organized, not the sole defining trait.

Final Answer:
Transmission.