How does ExpressNet ADSL compare to cable modems?
ADSL provides a dedicated service over a single telephone line; cable modems offer a dedicated service over a shared media. While cable modems have greater downstream bandwidth (up to 30 Mbps), that bandwidth is shared among all users on a line and will vary, perhaps dramatically, with traffic. Cable-modem upstream traffic will, in many cases, be slower than ADSL, either because the particular cable modem is inherently slower or because of rate reductions caused by contention for upstream bandwidth slots. The big difference between ADSL and cable modems, however, is the number of lines available to each. No more than 12 million homes currently can support cable modems. While this number is steadily growing, it will not catch up with telephone lines for many years. Additionally, many older cable networks are not capable of offering a return channel; consequently, such networks will need significant upgrading before they can offer high bandwidth services.
