DSL Service offers residential customers high
speed Internet access for a very reasonable rate. Many people don't realize that DSL speeds of 1.5Mbps are the
same as T1 speeds which top out at 1.5Mbps.
What's the difference? To start with…the price.
DSL costs $35 per month on average where a full T1 usually costs $400 or $500 if you're in a metro location and
up to $1,000 per month if you're in a rural location.
Why the high cost for T1 service without the extra speed?
A T1 gives reliable service and is not shared
with other subscribers or oversubscribed the way DSL is. Because it is not a shared service it carries a high cost. DSL service offers a slightly less reliable service
for a fraction of the cost. If you already have DSL Service you may have noticed that it's fast at some times and
slower at other times. This is because it's oversubscribed.
Over subscription means that many people are pulling from the same resource. During the afternoon when people are
at work there may be plenty of bandwidth to have, but in the evening when everyone is looking up the news, going
through e-mail, or shopping online, access tends to be strained. Many people pulling from the same limited resource
will find that there's only so much to go around.
What does this mean to you? Slow speeds occasionally in peak
traffic hours.
Most residential users' biggest concern is price and that's why DSL Service is so popular among them. A few slow
periods are a small price to pay for a 90% discount if you're using the service at home.
