Residential High Speed Internet Access

Written by: USaveDSL Staff - January 9, 2009

DSL and Cable High Speed Internet Services offer residential customers High Speed Internet access at very reasonable rates. Many don't realize that these services offer speeds that can be much higher than T1 speeds. The full T1 rate is 1.5Mbps. Cable modem service typically is around 3.0Mbps and is trending upward with some providers offering 6.0Mbps. DSL speeds can be near the T1 rate of 1.5Mbps.

So, what are the differences? Well, to start with, the price. Residential DSL and Cable High Speed Internet Services typically cost from less than $20 to $45 per month. The cost of a full T-1 can be $300 to $500 in metro locations and much higher in rural areas. Why is the cost of the T1 so much higher than Residential services with no increase in speed? The T1 service provides reliable service and is not shared with other subscribers. Typical DSL and Cable Modem Services have portions of the route between the end customer and the Internet backbone that are shared among several users. Oftentimes, these portions are oversubscribed which means that if all users tried to use the service at full capacity simultaneously, no user would enjoy the full speed promised while all users are active.

Residential DSL and Cable Internet Services cost a fraction of the cost of a full T1, but the service is slightly less reliable. If you've used these residential services, you may have noticed that at times it can be very fast while at other time is slower. This is where oversubscription comes in. Both DSL and Cable Modem Services can both have portions that are oversubscribed. There are too many users pulling packets of data from the same resource. Basically, there is only so much to go around. Users may find that, at times, speeds can slow during peak traffic hours. Overall, however, users do have a good browsing experience.

Because most residential user's biggest concern is the price, DSL and Cable Internet Services are so popular. A 90% price discount is worth the price of a few slow periods.