DSL stands for digital subscriber line. DSL is a way to connect to the internet.
DSL is a high speed connection (256kb/s to 24mb/s down and about the same up depending on DSL technology and equipment) that transfers data using the same wires as a regular telephone line. In order to fully understand the way DSL works, you have to understand the way a telephone works.
Basically, a small pair of copper wires runs from a road box to a box at your house. When you make a phone call, signals are carried along these wires to the road box, which is connected to the phone company's switch. Your voice (along with dozens of others) is then digitized and sent along a fiber optic cable to the phone company office where it is routed to whomever you're calling.
Those small copper wires connected to your home are capable of more than just carrying on phone conversations. There's lots of extra room along these wires which can be used for handling greater bandwidth. DSL operates on this extra room to transfer data without disturbing the line's ability to carry on a phone conversation.
All that is required on the customer's end to run DSL is a DSL modem which is provided by the company offering the service.
DSL is a high speed connection (256kb/s to 24mb/s down and about the same up depending on DSL technology and equipment) that transfers data using the same wires as a regular telephone line. In order to fully understand the way DSL works, you have to understand the way a telephone works.
Basically, a small pair of copper wires runs from a road box to a box at your house. When you make a phone call, signals are carried along these wires to the road box, which is connected to the phone company's switch. Your voice (along with dozens of others) is then digitized and sent along a fiber optic cable to the phone company office where it is routed to whomever you're calling.
Those small copper wires connected to your home are capable of more than just carrying on phone conversations. There's lots of extra room along these wires which can be used for handling greater bandwidth. DSL operates on this extra room to transfer data without disturbing the line's ability to carry on a phone conversation.
All that is required on the customer's end to run DSL is a DSL modem which is provided by the company offering the service.