DSL stands for digital subscriber line. DSL is technology that provides high-speed Internet access using your existing phone line. DSL works by sending data over your phone line at a higher frequency than normal telephone devices utilize. A special line filter is placed between the phone line and any standard phone devices coexisting with the DSL modem on the line. The wonderful benefit of this feature of DSL is that standard phone devices like fax machines or a regular phone can use the line at the same time you are surfing the net using your DSL connection. This eliminates the need for a phone line dedicated to the Internet connection.

When working with any type of broadband (cable modem, DSL, satellite), there are two different types of speed, upstream and downstream. Upstream is the information you transmit to the Internet. This includes services like sending email messages (not receiving). The second and more important speed for most users is downstream. Downstream speed is the rate at which information is transmitted to your computer from the rest of the Internet. Browsing web pages, downloading files, and receiving emails are all services affected by downstream speed. Speed is measured in K or kilobits. Most Internet users have a dialup connection; their average dialup connection is about 45K (both upstream and downstream). When determining which speed of DSL connection is right for you, it is important to understand the differences between downstream and upstream speed.

The speeds available to you are in part dependent on the distance of your location from the telephone company's switch.

To give a better idea of how fast DSL really is, let's look at some example download times.
In downloading a 10 Megabyte file this time required with various connection speeds:

-768K downstream: approximately 90 seconds

-384K downstream: approximately 180 seconds

-256K downstream: approximately 310 seconds

-45K-56K downstream: approximately 25 minutes