If you're ready to graduate from the annoyances of
dial-up Internet service, namely the frequent busy signals and slow
downloads of photos and shareware, not to mention the lengthy series
of tones and squawks emanating from your modem, consider DSL.
With DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) service, your computer is always
connected to the Internet via the service provider. That means no
dialing, no waiting. Better yet, DSL data-transfer rates are up to
140 times faster than those of state-of-the-art 56k analog modems.
With DSL service you'll be able to surf the Web and download music,
photos and other large data files with blazing speed. DSL also enables
computers to receive broadcast-quality video and handle bi-directional
video-conferencing applications.
DSL service works through ordinary copper telephone wiring. In fact,
a single pair of phone wires can carry voice and data transmissions
simultaneously. You can talk on the phone and surf the Web at the
same time on the same line. DSL works by splitting the phone line
into two frequency ranges; frequencies below 4kHz are reserved for
voice, and those above that for data.
"Over a single, ordinary phone line, DSL can allow users to talk on
the phone and browse the vast resources of the Internet," says Bill
Rodey, vice chairman and treasurer of the DSL Forum, an industry group
formed to disseminate information and promote the technology. "More
important, DSL has vast potential for virtually everyone who connects
to the Internet. It brings higher access speeds, lower costs and is
now broadly available to consumers," says Rodey.
Provided that you have a phone line and a computer, all you need to
get DSL service at your home or office is to contact a DSL provider.
Most phone companies that provide Internet service now offer DSL,
as do other Internet service providers.
One proviso: Your home's internal telephone wiring must be adequate
to handle the increased speed. If your home phone lines are not Category
5 cable or better, consider upgrading them to get the most from your
DSL service.
The DSL provider will arrange a service call to install a DSL modem
and, in some cases, a filter on the phone line to separate voice from
data. There may be a one-time charge for the DSL modem, although some
service providers offer them at reduced rates or free to long-term
subscribers. Increasingly, consumers will be able to purchase and
install a DSL modem themselves, without a service call from the provider.
Monthly fees for DSL vary with the provider and level of service,
and are somewhat higher than for conventional Internet access, but
generally are not prohibitive.
Not all DSL services are created equal. To begin with, there are actually
several different types of DSL that perform in different ways, each
meant for different types of users and applications. ADSL (Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line) is the most common type for home and office
use. ADSL offers faster download speed than upload speed and is appropriate
for users who typically receive more large data files than they send.
Full-rate ADSL downloads data at 8 Mbps (megabits per second) and
uploads at speeds of up to 1 Mbps.
But because full-rate DSL is faster and more costly than most users
need, a new standard called G.lite or DSL Lite, sanctioned by the
International Telecommunications Union, is expected to be widely adopted
soon. G.lite DSL offers download speeds up to 1.5 Mbps and uploads
at up to 384 kbps (kilobits per second), or 25 times faster than the
fastest analog modem available today. Among the other types of DSL
available today, there's SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
with which download and upload speeds are equal. SDSL might be desirable
if you were hosting a Web site or engaged in another business application
in which you needed to transmit high volumes of data from your computer.
For more information about DSL and to research providers in your area,
visit http://www.dsllife.com.
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