DSL Iowa, - So you want SBC DSL but you're looking for a bit more information? Make sure you know the company to which people are referring when they try to answer your questions. SBC is actually a group of several companies and they have as many differences as do completely separate companies.

SBC traces its roots to the original Bell Company. It then broke off into the Southwestern Bell Company. Just a few years ago, SBC acquired Ameritech which offers service in the mid west. It also acquired Pacific Bell on the West coast and a few locations on the east. The behemoth of a company offers a service called SBC DSL however the service is provided by the underlying companies which still operate much like separate companies.

Recently Yahoo DSL was introduced which was simply a branding initiative. The underlying service is SBC DSL. When signing up for the service, your experience may be quite different depending on which region you are in. When reading message boards or consumer group's comments on SBC DSL, just make sure you know which region the person is talking about and don't take their comments too seriously if they're not in your region. Once again, these divisions are as different as separate companies because not too long ago they were separate companies. Also remember when reading chat boards and consumer groups that DSL service is highly dependant on your distance from the phone company so complaint people have about bandwidth may not apply to you as they could be farther from the phone company than you and therefore have a weaker signal.

Definition 1. - A method for moving data over regular phone lines. A DSL 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. A commonly discussed configuration of DSL allows downloads at speeds of up to 1.5 megabits per second. This arrangement is called an ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.

Definition 2. - This is technology that uses ordinary copper telephone lines to provide Internet speeds ranging from 1.5 to 9 Mbps--speeds that are 30 to 50 times faster than a regular 56-kbps dial-up modem. DSL also allows users to receive voice and data simultaneously, since the signal is carried on a higher frequency than normal telephone communications. xDSL refers to all types of Digital Subscriber Lines, including: ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines SDSL: single-line digital subscriber lines HDSL: high-data-rate digital subscriber lines VDSL: very-high-data-rate digital subscriber lines.

Definition 3. - Technology that dramatically increases the digital capacity of ordinary telephone lines. The distance from the customer to the telco central office determines DSL speeds. Asymmetric DSL (ADSL) is for Internet access, where fast downstream is required, but slow upstream is acceptable. Symmetric DSL (SDSL) is best for connections that need high speed in both directions. DSL provides "always-on" operation. At the Central Office, DSL traffic is aggregated in a unit called the DSL Access Multiplexor (DSLAM) and forwarded to the appropriate ISP or data network. DSL can compete with cable modems in bringing multimedia and 3-D to homes and small businesses.

Definition 4. - Short for Digital Subscriber Line, DSL technologies use sophisticated modulation schemes to send data over the copper wire used for your phone connection and is considered high speed or broadband Internet access.