Business DSL - Is It The Right Choice For You?
When considering broadband options for a commercial enterprise, one reason to choose business DSL is that it may allow for an easier installation than business high speed cable. DSL uses the existing phone lines to deliver broadband Internet access. The phone jacks are usually fitted with filters, which allow them to send the broadband data to and from the modems which connect to the computer network, while still delivering the normal phone signals to the phone system and fax machines.
DSL stands for digital subscriber line. There are different types of DSL available to businesses, although all may not be available in your area. ADSL is Asymmetric digital subscriber line, which means that the downstream (to your computer) speed is faster than the upstream (from your computer to the Internet). Most businesses wil be happy with this arrangement. However, if your business spends a lot of time uploading (if you have a Website, for instance), you may want SDSL, or symmetric DSL, which allows upload speeds just as fast as the downloads.
Whether you choose business DSL or cable access may come down to the equipment that exists at your location. To get DSL, your business will need to be located within a specific distance of a phone company central office. Also, the cables delivering your phone service must be made of copper. If your location meets these criteria, installing DSL will probably be quicker than installing cable broadband access, as few businesses are wired for cable. As one who worked in a business that decided to install cable broadband back in the late nineties, I can tell you that it was a pretty inconvenient couple of days. As it happens, at that time, the DSL option wasn't considered to be ready for prime time by most experts, with numerous reports on the Internet of frustration with the service. I'm sure this influenced the decision to go with cable by upper management of that company. Not that cable was without its problems back in those days, but it had a few years head start in availability to work out the bugs. These days it seems to be a toss up as to reliability between the two options. One advantage DSL has is that, because cable uses 'shared bandwidth' (a number of subscribers on the same local network), and DSL has a 'dedicated' connection (you're the only one on your phone lines), the speed of the connection can be more consistent on DSL.
DSL, whether for business or residential service, has always promoted the availability of different bandwidth packages, allowing customers to choose to pay less and get less speed, or pay more for faster access. Cable, on the other hand, while lately adopting more of the 'choice' philosophy, traditionally offered one or two packages, and continued to upgrade the throughput as advances in technology enabled it, while not offering lower priced packages. Really, at this point in time, it's your specific situation that will determine the best broadband option for you, be that DSL or cable.
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