What is ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)?

What is ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)?

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology that facilitates fast data transmission at a high bandwidth on existing copper wire telephone lines to homes and businesses.

Unlike regular dial-up copper telephone line service, ADSL provides continuously available, always-on broadband connections. ADSL is asymmetric in that it uses most channels to transmit downstream to the user and only a small part for uploading information from the user.

By 2000, ADSL connections and other forms of high-speed DSL were available in urban areas. ADSL simultaneously accommodates analog (voice) information and data on the same phone line. It is generally offered at downstream internet connection data rates from 512 kilobits per second (Kbps) to about 6 megabits per second (Mbps).

With ADSL — and other forms of DSL — telephone service providers compete with internet service providers and varied internet connection methods, such as modems, Wi-Fi routers and fiber optic cable providers.