|
cyberMIND currently provides SDSL, ADSL, and IDSL. However,
DSL has many additional flavors as well.
When discussing the different flavors of DSL it is important
to understand the concepts of upstream and downstream. Downstream
is like downloading. It means information is traveling from
the Internet to your computer. Examples would be opening a
web page on your computer screen, or opening e-mail messages.
Upstream, on the other hand, means you are sending information
from your computer to the Internet. Examples of information
traveling upstream are sending e-mail messages or hosting
a web server. If you have ever tried to send e-mail with a
large attachment, like pictures, large spreadsheets, or electronic
presentations, you understand how a sluggish upstream connection
can really slow down your business.
SDSL (Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line)
SDSL is a symmetrical service, which means that information
travels upstream and downstream at the same rate. It was designed
for applications requiring high speeds in both directions.
SDSL speeds begin at 192 Kbps and go as high as 1.1 Mbps.
SDSL is well suited for business applications because of its
symmetrical nature.
ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line)
ADSL is an asymmetrical service, which means that information
travels downstream at a different rate than it travels upstream.
ADSL is faster downstream than upstream. Upstream speeds are
128 Kbps - 384 Kbps while downstream speeds can be as fast
as 768 Mbps. ADSL is primarily used by residential power users
who spend most of their time online downloading information.
IDSL (ISDN DSL)
IDSL is essentially used to provide DSL service to customers
who do not qualify for SDSL or ADSL. IDSL is capable of reaching
customers who are up to 36,000 feet away from the telephone
company Central Office. IDSL operates at a symmetrical speed
of 128 Kbps.
HDSL (High bit rate Digital Subscriber Line)
HDSL was developed as a faster cousin to ISDN, and it enabled
telephone companies to offer T-1 (1.544Mbps) speeds over regular
copper phone wire without the use of repeaters. However, HDSL
requires two pairs of wires, making it more expensive to provision
than newer DSL flavors that operate on one copper pair. HDSL
is the oldest and most heavily deployed version of DSL, but
HDSL is not available from cyberMIND due to higher subscription
price compared to SDSL.
|
