DSL (ADSL) Explained...

Written by: EarthWeb-Connect - Jan 6, 2009

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), also known as ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), is a technology that uses existing 2-wire copper telephone wiring to deliver high-speed data services to homes and businesses. This digital broadband line directly connects your premises to the Internet, via your existing copper telephone lines. Once installed, DSL provides a continuous "always-on" connection to the Internet and at the same time does not tie up the phone line for normal usage. This technology can be used to deliver bandwidth-intensive applications like high-speed access to the Internet, streaming audio/video, videoconferencing, online games, application programs, telephone calling and other high-bandwidth services. The maximum speed of DSL is determined by the distance between the customer site and the Central Office (CO). Most ISP's offer Symmetric DSL (SDSL) data services at speeds that vary from 144Kbps up to 2Mbps, and now in the UK even faster speeds- up to 8Mbps. Customers can choose the rate that meets their specific needs. This is 2.5x to 50x times faster than a standard 56Kbps dial-up modem.

> For more information on DSL (ADSL), please click here

> For ADSL in the UK, please click here