DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It uses copper telephone wires to provide internet to homes and businesses. Therefore, it is available wherever phone services exist.
DSL internet is essentially the next step up from dial-up internet, but the rise of cable internet and fiber internet has made DSL internet less common than it used to be. However, DSL has changed dramatically in the last decade. There are new types of DSL internet service available, and you may want to give them a try.
Types of DSL Internet
What is a DSL internet service today? Actually, there are three new types of DSL Internet:
VDSL
VDSL stands for Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line. At up to 52 Mbps download speeds, it is capable of handling not only general internet use but also HD video streaming and VOIP (voice over IP). VDSL amplifies your digital signal by up to three times more than traditional DSL. If you find that DSL or ADSL speeds don’t meet your requirements, consider VDSL.
ADSL
ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It’s called “asymmetric” because download speeds offered (between 8–24 Mbps) are faster than the upload speeds. This option is good if you regularly download typical internet packets (units of data) but don’t upload large files very often.
SDSL
SDSL stands for Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It’s called “symmetric” because it provides roughly equal download and upload speeds—often of about 1.5 Mbps.
What Internet Speeds Do You Need?
A top question we get is about DSL internet speed. Speedtest reports that across 11.5 million consumer-initiated tests on over 4 million unique devices, the United States has an average internet speed of:
- 33.88 Mbps download
- 9.75 Mbps upload
When determining how much speed you need, consider the following activities and the speed needed to support them:
- Email, web browsing, streaming music: 0–5 Mbps
- Skype/Facetime, single-player online gaming, streaming video: 5–40 Mbps
- Streaming video on multiple devices, downloading large files: 40–100 Mbps
- Streaming 4K video on multiple devices, quickly downloading large files: 100–500+ Mbps
Think about the main reasons you get on the internet. You might not actually need very high speeds most or all of the time. DSL might satisfy your requirements perfectly while also fitting your budget.
How to Get DSL Internet Service
Since DSL internet uses your existing copper phone lines, all you need to do is sign up with a service provider to get online. FirstDigital offers both VDSL and ADSL internet service with the following features:
- Extensive coverage
- Digitized network transfer capabilities
- Active monitoring to ensure optimum capacity during peak periods
- Self-diagnostics to prevent major issues from developing
- Customized speed and price packages
What is DSL internet? It’s your access to the information superhighway. Pick from customized DSL internet service solutions to find the one that works best for your needs. Contact FirstDigital today!