DSL Service

Written by: Patrick Oborn - Sep 30, 2008

DSL Service offers residential customers high speed internet access for a very reasonable rate. Many people don't realize that DSL speeds of 1.5Mbps are the same as T1 speeds which top out at 1.5Mbps. What's the difference? To start with…the price. DSL costs $35 per month on average where a full T1 usually costs $400 or $500 if you're in a metro location and up to $1,000 per month if you're in a rural location. Why the high cost for T1 service without the extra speed? A T1 gives reliable service and is not shared with other subscribers or oversubscribed the way DSL is. Because it is not a shared service it carries a high cost.

DSL service offers a slightly less reliable service for a fraction of the cost. If you already have DSL Service you may have noticed that it's fast at some times and slower at other times. This is because it's oversubscribed. Oversubscription means that many people are pulling from the same resource. During the afternoon when people are at work there may be plenty of bandwidth to have, but in the evening when everyone is looking up the news, going through e-mail, or shopping online, access tends to be strained. Many people pulling from the same limited resource will find that there's only so much to go around. What does this mean to you? Slow speeds occasionally in peak traffic hours.

Most residential users' biggest concern is price and that's why DSL Service is so popular among them. A few slow periods are a small price to pay for a 90% discount if you're using the service at home.