Digital subscriber line: leading technology revolutionizing access to the information highway

Digital subscriber line (DSL), a new modem technology currently undergoing mass deployment in North America and parts of Europe, utilizes existing telephone lines, and with over 750 million telephone lines worldwide, copper wires appear to be the infrastructure technology best suited for creating global access to infocommunications services. Copper telephone lines connect libraries, schools, homes, businesses, health care facilities, research centers and museums worldwide, providing near-universal access in developed countries. With DSL technology, the bandwidth capability of those 750 million copper telephone lines is increased to as much as 9 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. This paper describes DSL, its capabilities, and the crucial role it will play over the next decade as telephone companies enter new markets for delivering information in video and multimedia formats.