Among common media and carriers, which typically provides the slowest data transmission speeds under comparable conditions?

Introduction:
Physical media differ in bandwidth, attenuation, and interference immunity. Knowing which media are inherently faster or slower helps in selecting appropriate links for LANs, access networks, and backbones.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• “Twisted-pair wire” refers to copper pairs (e.g., Cat3–Cat6) without special conditioning.
• “Coaxial cable” offers better shielding and bandwidth than unshielded twisted pair of similar vintage.
• “Fiber-optic cable” supports very high data rates and long reach.
• “Microwaves” refers to point-to-point RF links capable of high throughput under line-of-sight conditions.

Concept / Approach:
Under comparable generations of technology, unshielded twisted pair (especially older categories) provides lower usable bandwidth and higher susceptibility to noise than coaxial or fiber. Microwave links, though variable, can achieve high aggregate throughput using modern modulation and channel widths. Therefore, the slowest typical baseline is twisted-pair copper.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Compare inherent bandwidth: fiber » microwave/coax » twisted pair.2) Consider attenuation and noise: UTP suffers more than coax; fiber is immune to EMI.3) Account for practical deployments: legacy UTP (e.g., Cat3) was limited to low Mbps; modern fiber/coax/microwave routinely exceed this.

Verification / Alternative check:
Enterprise networks use fiber for backbones and high-speed access, while twisted pair is used for desktop drops where ultra-high bandwidth is not always required—evidence of its relatively lower capacity.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Coaxial: higher bandwidth and better shielding than basic UTP.
• Fiber-optic: far higher data rates and distances.
• Microwaves: high capacities with modern radios and channel aggregation.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming “wireless is slow.” With modern microwave radios, that assumption is not generally true compared to old copper pairs.

Final Answer:
twisted-pair wire