What is “DSL”?
Let’s begin with a simple definition and then add more details.
Digital Subscriber Lines, aka “DSL”, is a high-speed Internet service which offers small businesses the same benefits that your cable company does for its home service clients: simultaneous internet access and voice services on the same connection. A DSL line runs over ordinary phone lines and broadband modems, and provides traditional voice and data access over the same line simultaneously.
There are several types of DSL Service
That’s right, there are a few types of DSL Service.
NOT all customers are alike and there are different solutions for different needs. Are these solutions expensive? Not necessarily. High speed internet over ordinary telephone lines, which DSL provides, could be broadband at a bargain price for the right customer.
Customers shopping for a telecom/internet solution may ask themselves: “what are the tradeoffs” or “what’s the catch?” More expensive telecom solutions, such as T1 or T3 lines, have higher service reliability as well as faster repair response times compared to DSL. Then why bother with DSL Lines?
There is a major advantage enjoyed by customers: Unlike what cable companies offer their clients, which is basically a shared network, DSL is a straight circuit between the user and a telecom carrier, offering the perks of exclusivity and security at a price affordable for most customers. On balance the affordability for an exclusive, unshared connection is a fair offset against small maintenance issues.
Some technical notes to help enhance your experience: While DSL Lines won’t interfere with voice calls, there may be a need for filters on those phone lines to prevent interference. The speeds are faster generally the nearer a customer is to their local carrier’s central offices.
Lets look at the different flavors of DSL:
- Asymmetrical DSL Service (ADSL)*: If you need a fast download and your uploads can be slower
- Asymmetrical DSL Service 2 / 2+ (ADSL 2/2+)*: Improved speeds over ADSL via improved modulation
- Symmetrical DSL Service (SDSL)**: Download and Upload speeds are equal
- ISDN based DSL (IDSL): Slow symmetrical speeds but with a longer ranger. Imagine Marathons for mountains of data. You need to move a lot of bits AND have the time to spare.
- High/Very High Bit Rate DSL (VDSL/HDSL): Very high speeds at short ranges. When you need your data to move in sprints. It’s the “Usain Bolt” Olympic speed solution for moving your bits.
*ADSL, along with its higher speed cousins (ADSL2, ADSL2+), provides speed at reasonable cost.
**For customers that rely on fast uploads such as hosting mail servers or backing up remote data, then SDSL is the right fit.
Last Note: Some DSL providers can guarantee speed throughput with static IP addresses for extra fees.
