Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop
(ADSL, or Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Loop) A form of Digital Subscriber Line in which
the bandwidth available for downstream connection is
significantly larger then for upstream. Although designed
to minimise the effect of crosstalk between the upstream and
downstream channels this setup is well suited for web
browsing and client-server applications as well as for
some emerging applications such as video on demand.
The data-rate of ADSL strongly depends on the length and
quality of the line connecting the end-user to the telephone
company. Typically the upstream data flow is between 16 and
640 kilobits per second while the downstream data flow is
between 1.5 and 9 megabits per second. ADSL also provides a
voice channel.
ADSL can carry digital data, analog voice, and broadcast
MPEG2 video in a variety of implementations to meet customer
needs.
["Data Cooks, But Will Vendors Get Burned?", "Supercomm
Spotlight On ADSL" & "Lucent Sells Paradine", Wilson & Carol,
Inter@ctive Week Vol. 3 #13, p1 & 6, June 24 1996].
See also Carrierless Amplitude/Phase Modulation, Discrete
MultiTone.
<ADSL Forum>.
(1998-05-18)
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