32VSB is an acronym for 32-level vestigial sideband modulation, capable of transmitting five bits (2⁵=32) at a time.

32VSB is rarely used, because receivers

Receiver (radio)

A radio receiver converts signals from a radio antenna to a usable form. It uses electronic filters to separate a wanted radio frequency signal from all other signals, the electronic amplifier increases the level suitable for further processing, and finally recovers the desired information through...

 have more trouble distinguishing between so many fine levels of modulation

Modulation

In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted...

. It can, however, be useful in situations such as short last mile

Last mile

The "last mile" or "last kilometer" is the final leg of delivering connectivity from a communications provider to a customer. The phrase is therefore often used by the telecommunications and cable television industries. The actual distance of this leg may be considerably more than a mile,...

 coaxial cable

Coaxial cable

Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...

 runs, which bring fiber to the curb systems into the home as regular cable TV, cable modem

Cable modem

A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...

, and cable telephone services.

Other slower but more rugged forms include 2VSB

2VSB

In telecommunications, 2VSB is an abbreviation for 2-level vestigial sideband modulation, a transmission method capable of transmitting one bit at a time.Other faster but less rugged forms include 4VSB, 8VSB, and 16VSB....

, 4VSB

4VSB

4VSB is an abbreviation for 4-level vestigial sideband modulation, capable of transmitting two bits at a time. Other faster but less rugged forms include 8VSB and 16VSB. While 2VSB is more rugged, it is also slower....

, 8VSB

8VSB

8VSB is the modulation method used for broadcast in the ATSC digital television standard. ATSC and 8VSB modulation is used primarily in North America; in contrast, the DVB-T standard uses COFDM....

, and 16VSB

16VSB

16VSB is an abbreviation for 16-level vestigial sideband modulation, capable of transmitting four bits at a time.-How it works:Other slower but more rugged forms of VSB include 2VSB, 4VSB, and 8VSB...

.