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What's
DSL?
DSL stands for "Digital Subscriber
Line" and is a technology that transforms ordinary copper phone lines into
digital lines for high-speed Internet access. The use of digital coding
techniques allows DSL modems to squeeze more capacity out of a phone line,
significantly increasing the speed of information exchange. The result is
high-speed Internet access without installing a second phone line.
DSL technology is available in several forms, collectively referred to as xDSL. Most residential providers use ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), the most popular form of DSL technology. The key to ADSL is that the download and upload bandwidths are asymmetrical, allowing the technology to accommodate the typical Internet usage pattern more efficiently. With ADSL, the download speed is optimized at up to 1.5 Mbps and the upload speed is up to 256 Kbps. With a download speed of up to 1.5 Mbps, you can download about 185 kilobytes of information in one second, and quickly receive Internet images, programs, sound and video.
What's DSL coverage?
DSL coverage refers to the availability of DSL circuits in a phone company
central office. While DSL coverage is growing quickly, it's currently available
only in areas where the necessary equipment and wiring have been installed.
Also, DSL service requires that you be roughly 3 miles (15,000 - 18,000 feet) from the phone company's central office, where specialized DSL equipment is located. This distance is measured as the length of the copper wire connecting the phone company's central office equipment to your home (rather than the straight-line distance between the central office and your home). Technology is under development to extend the distance for DSL, but until then, you cannot receive service if you're beyond the connection range.
Hardware/Software Requirements
| Microsoft 95/98 | Pentium processor or
higher
Minimum 16 MB RAM and CD-ROM drive for software installation Ethernet, USB (Windows 98 only), or parallel port
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or
later |
| Microsoft 2000 | Pentium II processor or
higher
Minimum 64 MB RAM and CD-ROM drive for software installation Ethernet or USB
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or
later |
| Microsoft NT | Pentium processor or
higher
Minimum 32 MB RAM and Ethernet port
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or
later |
| Apple Macintosh | MacOS 7.5.3 or later
32 MB RAM Ethernet card and port |
| UNIX | Any UNIX OS
TCP/IP connectivity Ethernet card and port |
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