ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
Method for moving data over regular phone lines. An ADSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection, and the wires coming into the subscriber's premises are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service.
An ADSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations, similar to a leased line. A commonly discussed configuration of ADSL would allow a subscriber to receive data (download) at speeds of up to 1.544 Megabits per second, and to send (upload) data at speeds of 128 kilobits per second. Thus the 'Asymmetric' part of the acronym. Another commonly discussed configuration would be symmetrical: 384 kilobits per second in both directions. In theory ADSL allows download speeds of up to 9 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 640 kilobits per second.
ADSL is often discussed as an alternative to ISDN, allowing higher speeds in cases where the connection is always to the same place.
ADSL is often discussed as an alternative to ISDN, allowing higher speeds in cases where the connection is always to the same place.
