DSL starts approaching cable for raw speed

While you can debate the advantages of Cable over DSL or vice versa for hours, one thing is for certain, and that is that Cable has always been able to hold the “speed king” crown for home broadband for quite some time. That's starting to change as DSL technology improves and can be brought to more areas, and now AT&T is offering DSL lines that truly equal and perhaps surpass residential cable connections in terms of speed. Offering a line of up to 6mbps / 768kbps down/up, and at a price point vastly lower than most cable providers, that's going to be something anyone looking for high bandwidth will love. A mere $17.99 nets 3mbps down, and while I don't want to sound like an advertisement, dollar per megabit has come down drastically. AT&T is expanding their Internet services in general, but if this level of cost/speed for DSL carries to other providers


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Broadband providers need to improve

Local broadband uptake will improve if service providers deliver better pricing and more advanced services, according to analysts at IDC.

Despite these concerns, 13.8 per cent of Australians had a broadband connection by December 2005 -- a significant rise from 7.7 per cent a year earlier.

This equated to 2.9 million broadband subscribers generating $1.9 billion in revenues. IDC predicts 5.9 million subscribers by 2010, with revenues hitting $4 billion.

"Although we are out of the broadband backwater there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of coverage, offerings and pricing," IDC telecommunications analyst, Shing Quah, said. The lack of advanced services, she said, could be attributed to large telcos Telstra and Optus being slow to launch VoIP, IPTV and video-on-demand (VoD) services.

This was mainly due to a need to protect existing PSTN revenues.

Advanced offerings were being driven largely by smaller competitors such as iiNet and Primus, which had rolled out ADSL2+ DSLAMs. "They have been able to offer subscribers within the range of the enabled exchanges downstream speeds of up to 24Mbps as well


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Finding DSL Providers ?

In addition to helping your search for DSL, a broadband broker will help you identify important details about your new high speed internet service. Remember to read the fine print and to look for extra charges like equipment and installation charges. Sometimes these extra charges are waived and sometimes they may not be waived. Also be careful to find out what your commitment time will be. Is it 12 months or longer that you are committing to? Many providers will offer larger discounts but try to lock you in to a longer contract time. Don't get stuck! Try and make sure you know the length of contract by going to a broker and by doing a comparison of DSL Providers side by side.

A DSL Speed Test is the best way to find what kind of DSL speed you're really going to get. Is your broadband connection really slow or is it just the fact that you are working with an older, slower, or over tasked computer? Simply find the DSL Speed Test by doing a search query on Google and you will quickly be on your way to finding out what you are really going to get. You will have to close down your programs that are accessing the internet and then perform the test which will take 40 seconds or so. It is extremely important to shut down the programs which are using the net because these will impair the speed test and will almost certainly cause your connection speed to appear much slower than it really is since some of it is being used by the programs.

One last important issue is the introductory price. DSL Providers claim to give you service for 19 or 24 dollars per month but it is very likely an introductory offer price that usually lasts only several months or even less. If you are really willing to sign for the introductory term, just please make absolutely sure you know what you are paying for when the introductory period ends.

DSL Providers

Verizon


Indulge in discount entertainment service like music, games, 24 hours tech support and much more.


Games, online music, online videos, tools for working from your home – it's all included. See what you can do with Verizon DSL. Purchase and then download the latest online music, see videos, it's all here!



Verizon DSL

DSL Providers Top 20

The DSL providers Top 20 review brings you the pick of the best and most popular DSL service providers online today.

To make finding the right DSL access package for you easy and convenient, this review brings you a summary of the leading providers in the United States on a single page, so you have a one-stop reference to compare the best offers in the DSL market today.

Selection of the DSL provider that suits you best will probably be a combination of a number of factors, and the following checklist of account features that are available in the DSL market today are likely to figure uppermost in the final selection.

Price: Now that the DSL market has matured the entry price has become quite attractive, with the increased access speed of this technology now available at less of a premium to dial-up. At times some of the leading providers offer special deals too, which can be a very good incentive to move up to the speed of DSL while they are available.

Dependability and Service: Providers who have been in the business for some time are generally those who have got their system right and can offer the most trouble-free services. That said, it is still worthwhile looking for good support behind any DSL service, so if you ever do have a problem it can be resolved quickly. Some DSL providers offer 24/7 support both online and by phone, which can be quite important for peace of mind.

DSL Hardware: A DSL modem is required and the prices of these can vary quite substantially. Some of the leading providers will supply one at no cost when you join. As well as the saving in cost if you get one as part of the package this ensures you are getting a modem they recommend and support with their service.

Email Accounts: Email features are becoming increasingly important, both from the point of view of the number of accounts provided and the features they offer. Some DSL accounts come with advanced email features like tools for limiting spam, generating email aliases, setting up your own email forwarding and the ability to use auto-responders while you are away. When you consider your DSL internet access account will more than likely be with you for some time this is an area where it is probably best to get the best featured account you can.

Web Site Features: Some DSL packages include Web space and the ability to run a Web site. Features here can be important too, with some accounts coming with online web building tools so you don't need additional software to get a Web site up and running.

Networking: If you are likely to want to connect more than one computer to your DSL connection (either now or at some stage in the future) then then the networking features of an account are important. Some DSL providers include networking capabilities at no extra cost.

Because your DSL connection will likely be with you for some time it is worth choosing a plan which not only gives you what you need today, but can also grow with you. This is especially true in the areas of networking and email features. For that reason I would recommend you run with the plan that gives you the most flexibility and room for future growth.

All these organizations in the DSL providers top 20 are suppliers of some note in this industry, and to get the supplier that is right for you it could be worth comparing offers from a number of providers before you make your final decision, and this top 20 listing lets you do just that - compare offers from the top providers from a single source.

I hope you found the DSL providers top 20 useful and found what were looking for in the world of DSL access. And, if you did find this top 20 review useful, maybe you would like to bookmark the page, it may be the only DSL providers reference you'll ever need.

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Broadband Shopping US Style

Americans are sold on the Internet, but they are still determined to shop around for the right price for broadband.
March 29, 2006

Americans are sold on the Internet, but they are still determined to shop around for the right price for broadband.



That has allowed DSL, the less expensive option, to close the gap on cable modem service.



Almost 10 million American homes signed up for broadband service in 2005, according to a report released on Wednesday by Leichtman Research. The 9.6 million added subscribers are 1 million more than the previous single-year record set in 2004.



DSL, a service carried over phone lines, accounted for all of the year-to-year increase from 2004. More Americans opted for the generally less expensive DSL than cable broadband service, reducing the once-extensive lead of cable broadband service providers to little more than a sliver.



DSL service providers added more than 5.2 million broadband subscribers in 2005, a million-subscriber improvement over 2004. Cable operators added about 4.4 million broadband subscribers in 2005, almost the same number as in 2004.

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DSL Providers

new telecommunications reform bill in the U.S. Congress would kill the Internet because it does not protect users against decisions by broadband providers to discriminate against some types of Internet traffic, consumer advocacy groups said Tuesday.

The draft bill, released late Monday by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, would gut so-called net neutrality rules prohibiting large broadband providers from blocking or slowing access to Web content and services from competitors, the advocates said. The House committee included net neutrality provisions in earlier drafts.

"This really is a gigantic step backwards, and if enacted, would lead to the death of the Internet," said Earl Comstock, president and chief executive officer of CompTel, a trade group representing small telecom carriers.

The bill would give large DSL and cable modem providers "a blank check" to freeze out companies that provide competing Web content and services such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), added Mark Cooper, director of research for the Consumer Federation of America, during a press conference.

DSL providers AT&T and Verizon Communications praised the bill, released by committee Chairman Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, and Rep. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat. Neither company addressed net neutrality in statements it released, instead focusing on provisions in the bill that would streamline the franchising process for new video carriers to compete with cable television. Both companies are rolling out IPTV services that deliver cable-like programming over the Internet.

Barton defended the bill in a statement, saying it will produce an "explosion of opportunity" with video services "that were unimagined just a few years ago." Current telecom law does not reflect the "technological and competitive reality" of video, he added.

Consumer groups and companies such as Amazon.com, Microsoft and Yahoo have called for a net neutrality law in recent


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Sprint Nextel prepares to take on DSL providers

LAS VEGAS--Sprint Nextel is preparing to take on the big phone companies in the broadband market.

The assault on DSL is coming quietly, but recent announcements and development in Sprint's technology indicate that the company believes it can be the third pipe into the home--a pipe that would challenge the phone companies' DSL service and perhaps would rival even faster-than-DSL cable-modem service.

On Tuesday, Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, announced the Wireless-G Router for Mobile Broadband (WRT54G3G-NA), which allows Sprint mobile broadband customers to plug their broadband card, used to connect their laptops wirelessly, in to the PC Card slot on the router. The EV-DO mobile broadband connection is then turned into a shared 802.11g Wi-Fi connection. The companies are showing off the new router at the CTIA Wireless 2006 trade show here this week.

Full coverage
CTIA: Wired on wireless
Mobile operators, handset makers and network gear specialists are rolling out new products and big plans at CTIA Wireless 2006.Initially, Sprint and Linksys are marketing the product to businesses that require network connections in areas where wired broadband access is not readily accessible, such as construction sites, special events, offsite consulting situations and at events focused on public safety. But Sprint admits the product may appeal to consumers and could be viewed as a harbinger for much larger ambitions, especially as the mobile operator deploys a faster version of its wireless broadband called EV-DO Revision A, which will be available in early 2007.

"We definitely think that EV-DO Revision A makes a compelling case for replacing broadband connections," said Barry Tishgart, director of product marketing for Sprint Nextel. "And beyond that, whatever 4G technology we choose in the future could be something that provides a wireless broadband service that is as good or better than DSL and cable."

Today, average EV-DO speeds are slightly slower than the lowest tiers of DSL broadband service. EV-DO Revision Zero, the current version of technology, provides downloads between 400 kilobits per second and 700kbps with upload speeds of about 50kbps to 70kbps. The new version of the technology



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