Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a modem technology that uses existing telephone lines to transport high-bandwidth data, such as multimedia and video, to service subscribers. DSL provides dedicated, point-to-point, public network access. This DSL connection is typically between a network service provider (NSP) central office and the customer site, or on local loops created either within buildings or campuses.

DSL draws significant attention from implementers and service providers. This is because it delivers high-bandwidth data rates to dispersed locations with relatively small changes to the existing telecommunications infrastructure.

The term xDSL covers a number of similar yet competing forms of DSL, including ADSL (Asymmetric DSL).

The Advantages of Asymmetric DSL

Asymmetric DSL allows more bandwidth for downstream than upstream data flow. This asymmetric technology combined with always-on access makes Asymmetric DSL ideal for users who typically download much more data than they send.

In the near future, Asymmetric DSL will play a crucial role, as telephone companies enter new markets for delivering information in video and multimedia formats. New broadband cabling will take decades to reach all prospective subscribers. Success of these new services depends on reaching as many subscribers as possible during the first few years.

By bringing movies, television, video catalogs, remote CD-ROMs, corporate LANs, and the Internet into homes and small businesses, Asymmetric DSL will make these markets viable and profitable for telephone companies and application suppliers alike.