Digital Subscriber Line or more commonly known as DSL is a broad band technology that uses existing telephone lines and digital coding to create a connection to the Internet from your computer. The digital lines make the transmission of computer information faster and more reliable.

The same copper-based lines that let you make and receive telephone calls are used at a higher frequency. DSL modems are hooked up at both ends of a telephone line one in the home, the other at the nearest telephone company switching station. The modems digitally divide the telephone into three channels: One handles the telephone traffic, the other handles the upstream information from your computer to the internet; and the third channel handles the downstream information traffic from the Internet to your computer.

o Download vast amounts of data from the Internet in half the time it would take for a dial-up service.

Quantum. April 05, 2001. "Cable or DSL." http://www.merc100.com/cable_dsl.htm

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) has several advantages, it allows businesses to stay connected to the Internet at all times, it is a better business tool than an analog connection, because an analog connection must be dialed up every time a person wants to connect to the Internet. The computers modem must dial a phone number, and it is not always able to connect to the service provider. This may cause a delay in conducting valuable business transactions. With DSL your modem is given a number and is always connected to the Internet, this allows businesses to conduct business twenty-hours a day, seven days a week without interruption. There are several Internet connections available, cable is one of DSL's many competitors. "Cable connections are good for home use but they are not really a good business tool, because cable lines are shared among many different users that subscribe to the service."(www.netopia.com) The more people on line the slower the c!

Profits are expected to rise and margins are increasing. Some phone companies are interested in investing in DSL technologies because it takes advantage of the POTS that is presently available in many customers' homes or business while other phone companies see DSL as a threat. Presently there are several different companies that control most of the market shares concerning DSL technologies and supplies. Some of the companies that provide DSL equipment and services to businesses and consumers' are: Copper Mountain, Alcatel, Regional Bell Operating Companies (SBC and BEL), Covad Communications, North Point Communications, DSL.net, Rhythms NetConnections, and GlobalSpan. Many believe that "This intense competition in the DSL market should further spur growth as DSL becomes available in more areas."

Broadband technologies provide an always-on connection, which creates a security situation for its users. One point of vulnerability created by this connection is the fact that users keep the same IP address, which is changed every time you log on in a traditional dial-up connection. Most cable and DSL providers can offer you technology that will change your IP address every time you serf the net. Cable connections are vulnerable to subscribers on the same shared connection. The shared connection is similar to a local area network (LAN) that makes it easier to get into other people's computers that are on the same network. DSL avoids this problem by providing a dedicated line to users. Both DSL and cable users should take extra security precautions to prevent unauthorized access to ones' computer. A firewall program is suggested for protection because even though the user may not be using the connection, they are still vulnerable to hackers.

Though DSL has several disadvantages, distance sensitivity, cost and availability over all the advantages out weight the disadvantages, it offers small business a way to stay connect to the internet at all times. Even though businesses may not be able to transfer their service if they change locations, businesses do not change locations that often so that is not a major disadvantage. As with any new service, the price is always high in the beginning, but the price will drop once the service is improved and more people use the service.

DSL is not ideal for the average home user because of the cost of installation and the monthly cost. The average cost of DSL a connection for a single computer is $40 to $50 dollars a month, that is not including the cost of the modem which can range from $100 to $750 to install. The phone company must run a separate line in order to run DSL, it can only be hooked up to the main telephone in the home and there is any thing else connected to the phone line with will interfere

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Approximate Word count = 3932
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)