With the fast pace development of the internet technology today, it's very possible to connect to the world and get information in just a matter of seconds. People who frequently go online have a choice between close broadband rivals cable operators or DSL (digital subscriber line) service for instant access to the internet. The battle continues between cable and DSL companies who promise to provide customers with the best service for high-speed data transmission.

Broadband technologies started to develop in the early part of 2000. In the U.S. alone, broadband internet usage either through cable modem or DSL connections soared from only six percent in June 2000 to 30 percent in 2003, according to a study.

Cable

Cable operators, through their cable modem service, provide broadband using the same coaxial cables that transmit pictures and sound to your television set. Most cable modems are external devices that have two connections - one to the cable wall outlet and the other one to a computer. With this type of modem, a user can both watch cable TV and use his computer at the same time. Instant internet access similar to DSL can be achieved just by turning on the PC.

With a residential cable internet connection, a user can have download speeds between four to six Mbps or roughly 70 times faster than a dialup connection. Cable consumers can even opt to bundle their internet access with digital cable TV and digital phone service to avail of discounts.

Cable companies especially in the urban centers felt threatened with the entry of DSL and immediately took action spending billions of dollars for upgrades. Many of them have boosted their download speeds in hopes of competing with cheaper DSL offers.

DSL

DSL is a telecommunications service that allows an ordinary telephone line to be used as a high-speed conduit for data, voice and video. It boasts of broadband speeds over ordinary telephone lines and is considered one of the fastest growing high-speed access technologies best for both business and personal use. Among the telecommunication technologies available today, DSL is the most powerful and flexible solution for high-speed internet access and information transfer.

A typical DSL connection enables users to receive data at a maximum of 1.5 Mbps and send data at 256 Kbps. The nearer your location to the provider's central office, the faster the speed you'll get. And what's best about this is that with DSL, connectivity is always guaranteed. In other words, a user can be sure to go online instantly as no dial up connection is needed. In some cases, users can even use the same line for voice and data traffic.

Apart from its high speed connectivity, DSL is very cost effective in that a user needs only little new equipment and no new telephone lines. It is easy to use and requires no further training.

DSL technologies come in various forms depending on a user's location and bandwidth needs. These are the IDSL (ISDN digital subscriber line), ADSL (Assymetric DSL), VDSL (Very High Speed DSL), RADSL (Rate Adaptive DSL) and HDSL/SDSL (High Data Rate DSL/Symmetric DSL).

So you decide which of these two broadband technologies suits your needs. If you only need internet access without getting a new telephone line, then the DSL may be best. However, if you want to subscribe to a cable TV and have fast internet access at the same time, then the cable modem will suit you best.