Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

(A-D-S-L)

A new phone-line technology designed to replace or supplement ISDN. ADSL is asymmetric; uplink speed (up to 640Kbps) differs from downlink speed (up to 8Mbps). ADSL is only available in select areas and is marketed mostly to home users because the technology supports having both data and voice on the same line. Use of ADSL depends greatly on the distance to the central office and quality of the line.

A lower-speed version of ADSL is often called G.lite. Maximum download is 1.5 Mbps but distance to the central office can be up to 20,000 feet.

More Information

• ADSL Simulation Model
• 2Wire Learning Center DSL Forum
• Everything DSL