| There is a big misconception when talking about | | | | difference with DSL is that it is "asymmetrical" which |
| internet speed for end users. You can have a 3 Meg | | | | means the download speed could be 1.5Meg but the |
| DSL and it will not necessarily be faster than a 1.5 T1. | | | | upload speed will only be 256k. This does not work |
| Why is that? | | | | when you are sending large files. |
| DSL is a shared technology. This means that | | | | T1 is a dedicated circuit for you alone. The bandwidth |
| everyone in a 3 mile radius or so will be sharing the | | | | will be constant. Typically, you would want to deal with |
| same connection. The bandwidth will range during the | | | | a tier 1 carrier or an Internet Backbone Provider (IBP) |
| day depending on usage. You might be flying early in | | | | instead of an Internet Service Provider or ISP. ISP's |
| the morning then slow down just as the kids are | | | | buy from IBP's. T1's are regulated by the FCC for |
| getting home from school. Also, DSL has to be | | | | maximum uptime. T1's are "symmetrical" which means |
| regenerated through a series of pops in order to get | | | | you will get the same download and upload speeds. In |
| you out to the world wide web. This can slow you | | | | most cases, you can find bundled packages where |
| down which is referred to as latency. DSL is | | | | you can enjoy the benefits and not have to pay more |
| considered a "best effort" product and can experience | | | | money to get it. |
| long outages up to 2 weeks or more. The other | | | | |