DSL or Cable: Points to Consider

M A R K E T B R I E F
DSL or Cable: Points to Consider
Broadband Access for the Enterprise
The Internet has been influencing enterprises for well over a decade Both DSL and cable are faster than dial-up, but their speed relative toand has changed the way business is communicated and conducted. each other depends on a number of factors. It is difficult to conduct It's often the primary channel through which businesses gather a straight comparison, as each situation may have a different result.information, communicate with customers and interact with suppliers. There are three main elements that determine data transfer speed:As the use of the Internet expands and the demand for high-speedaccess increases, businesses are looking for cost-effective connection . DSL is affected by the resistance of copper telephone wires andoptions for remote workers, satellite offices and traveling employees. that resistance can attenuate the signal. Due to this attenuation,Two leading methods for high-speed access are DSL and cable DSL achieves faster speeds when the end-point is closer to theInternet. telephone company's central office.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a family of technologies that supports . Cable may offer more bandwidth, which gives it a higher upperhigh-speed transfer of information over the regular telephone network. speed limit. Unlike DSL, cable is not affected by distance, butA DSL signal can share a line with a voice signal; therefore, DSL Internet performance can be degraded by bandwidth sharing. In a givenconnections do not tie up the phone line the way dial-up connections area, many cable modem users are sharing the same connection,can. There are several different "flavors" of DSL, with the most which can lead to latency and bandwidth contention if a largecommon being Asymmetric DSL (ADSL) and Symmetric DSL (SDSL). number of cable modem users are simultaneously accessing SDSL delivers the same speed for both uploads and downloads; the Internet.whereas, ADSL can download faster than it can upload. Because most . Both DSL and cable providers may employ bandwidth caps, users are more likely to download information from the web than setting a maximum speed based on how much bandwidth isupload large amounts of data, ADSL is a good fit for many businesses. appropriate. These caps are designed to help ensure thatCable Internet access is a method for delivering data over the coaxial subscribers receive the service and bandwidth purchased.cable networks that were deployed to deliver television signals, As cable's speed is impacted by a variety of factors, cable's raw speedprimarily to residential customers. Like DSL, it requires a special device advantage is not as dramatic as it appears at first glance. Regardlessat the receiving end, known as a cable modem, and is sometimes of the access method, local network and PC performance play a rolecalled cable modem service. Given its heritage as a residential in the effective speed. More importantly, cable speed varies according offering, it's often sold as an add-on to cable TV. In some locations, to the number of connections serving a particular geography, thecable may not be available as a stand alone service, at least not at number of users per connection, the number of users who are actuallycompetitive prices. However, since it is associated with cable, it is connected at a given time and the functions users are performing.generally widely available. Due to these variations, cable may not be as predictable or asconsistent as DSL. The speed and performance of cable InternetWhich is Faster? access may fluctuate during a typical business day, which can be veryBecause they are available at a fraction of the cost of T1 services, frustrating to end users who need more consistent performance.both DSL and cable can be a cost effective alternative to moretraditional access methods. Speed and cost are two commondifferentiators between DSL and cable. Other issues that shouldbe considered include installation requirements, security features and customer service.Market Brief - DSL or Cable: Points to Consider ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2
Other Considerations the network is up and running. With cable, there is a risk that actualBeyond speed, there are other technological issues to consider when performance will vary, as well as the risk that it may deteriora... [download for more]