Comparison of DSL Speeds & Cable Speeds

Many factors play into comparing DSL and cable Internet speeds.

Among residential Internet services, DSL and cable are the most common choices. With fiber optic service, or FiOS, available or on the way in many areas, the comparison of DSL and cable speeds will have less merit, but it's still of the utmost importance to those without FiOS. Many factors play into comparing DSL and cable Internet speeds.

DSL

Quoted DSL speeds range from 768 Kbps to as high as 8 Mbps. However, actual speeds will vary from user to user based primarily on one factor: the distance from the subscriber to the provider's nearest central office. The closer a subscriber is, the faster a connection will be. But it works both ways. The farther a subscriber is from the nearest central office, the slower a connection will be. After about 3 miles of distance between the two, most DSL signals have faded too much to be used.

Cable

Cable has the advantage of being available to provide subscribers with the same connection speed no matter their distance from the cable provider's central office. In addition, cable Internet is usually superior to DSL in both download and upload speeds. However, since cable Internet is shared among other users on a network, it is much more affected by heavy traffic, slowing down considerably when many subscribers try to use it at once.

Bandwidth Tests

According to bandwidth tests submitted to dslreports.com, cable Internet connections hold the top 16 places in download speeds, so cable is clearly the superior choice in terms of pure bandwidth.

Latency

DSL provides subscribers with a slightly lower latency than cable, meaning that it takes less time for a packet of data to travel to and from the central office. This makes DSL a slightly better choice for subscribers wanting to use the Internet for voice over Internet protocol, video conferencing, online gaming and other real-time applications.

Net Neutrality

Recent court rulings against the Federal Communications Commission state that broadband Internet providers have the right to throttle Internet traffic based on usage data. This is grim news for all broadband Internet subscribers, especially those subscribing to cable Internet, who can expect to have their download bandwidth limited depending on how they use the Internet.

References

• Broadband Info: DSL vs. Cable Broadband Internet
• dslreports.com: The Fastest Downloads
• Detroit News: FCC loses key ruling on 'Net neutrality'
• James Thornton: Cable vs. DSL: Latency