What is ADSL?

Definition

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a new modem technology that converts existing twisted-pair telephone lines into access paths for high-speed communications of various sorts.

Overview

ADSL can transmit more than 6 Mbps to a subscriber—enough to provide Internet access, video-on-demand, and LAN access. In interactive mode it can transmit more than 640 kbps in both directions. This increases the existing access capacity by more than fifty-fold enabling the transformation of the existing public network. No longer is it limited to voice, text, and low-resolution graphics. It promises to be nothing less than an ubiquitous system that can provide multimedia (including full-motion video) to the entire country. ADSL can perform as indicated in Table 1.

Table 1. ADSL Data Rates As a Function of Wire and Distance