What are the differences between DSL and cable modem services?
DSL provides always-available high-speed Internet access over a single dedicated telephone line. Cable modems offer high-speed Internet access over a shared cable television line. While cable modems may have greater theoretical downstream (from the Internet to the home. ie. viewing website, receiving mail) bandwidth capabilities, that bandwidth is shared among all users in a neighborhood, and will therefore vary, often dramatically, as more users in a neighborhood get online at the same time. Upstream traffic (from the customer premise to the Internet. ie. sending mail, requesting a website, clicking a link, submitting a form) over cable modems will in many cases be slower than DSL, either because the particular cable modem is inherently slower, or because too many people in a neighborhood are trying to send or receive data at the same time – causing congestion in the local cable network.
