Cable vs DSL, Top 10 Myths
I was browsing a local portal and stumbled across this article. The portal is owned by Cox Communications, a major cable provider here in Orange County California.
ocnow.com
Fact or Fiction...Well this could depend on which side of the fence you are on. IMO, which side really does not matter, for we all know who owns the fence.
If a cable company with 62,000 subscribers wants to allow one percent of their subscribers to simultaneously connect to the Internet at 10 Mbps, they would need an "OC12" connection to the backbone. Game, Set and Match...
Myth 1
Cable and DSL services are comparable.
Fact: DSL typically is not as fast as cable. Depending on the DSL provider, speed can range from 128K to 7MB per second. Cable speed ranges from 400K to 10MB per second. Service levels for cable depends on the cable system operator and whether the access is for residential or community, but typically, cable has more bandwidth available than DSL.
Also, Many homes and businesses can't get the higher speed DSL service because they are too far from the telephone companies central office. DSL can't maintain high-bandwidth speeds past distances of roughly 18,000 feet. Cable has no such restrictions.
Myth 2
DSL connections are "dedicated" and cable is "shared." More users on a cable system network equals slower service speed.
Fact: The only dedicated portion of the DSL circuit exists between the home or business and the telephone companies central office. Beyond that, DSL subscribers are then on a shared telephone company network which in turn is connected to an ISP that is shared with all other ISP subscribers before being transmitted to the Internet. Therefore, DSL and cable both provide shared access to the Internet - just in different ways.
"Shared versus dedicated" really asks: What is the overall performance of the Internet conncection? Cox is one of the largest cable broadband companies and is a leader in providing cable Internet services. Several factors contribute to their success.
1. Cox's cable network has recently been rebuilt and is designed with growth in mind. Cox can easily expand available bandwidth to meet increasing customer demands.
2.High-performance proxy/cache servers reduce the need to retrieve popular website pages from the Internet, further enhancing the user's online experience.
3.Cox customers are connected to the Internet via a nationwide, high-speed, private Tier 1backbone. This means that Cox cable users suffer less net congestion than some DSL providers who connect through Tier 2 or below ISPs. Tier 2 ISPs connect to the Internet via Tier 1 providers which reduces the speed and capacity of the Internet connection.
Myth 3
Because cable customers are using a "shared" network, one user can more easily tap into the data stream of another local customer.
Fact: Cable networks are no less secure than phone networks. Currently, many cable systems use proprietary technology, which is very difficult to reverse engineer, and that would be the only way to eavesdrop on another customer's data conversation. This would be a highly unlikely scenario.
Furthermore, Cox will be upgrading its cable systems to support DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification)-compliant cable modems and equipment. This means that Cox will guarantee user data privacy through encryption, or more simply, Cox guarantees there will be no eavesdropping.
Myth 4
When cable is delivering video, voice and data at the same time, the cable modem user will suffer from "congested" bandwidth, unlike a DSL user.
Fact: Cable companies can assign dedicated frequencies for each video, voice and data service without conflict. Cox's Network has a 750MHz capacity compared to telephone lines that are limited to approximately 1MHz of bandwidth, which must be shared between voice and data services. With cable, you can watch TV, talk on the phone and browse the Net simultaneously without impacting any individual service.
Myth 5
Cable services are less reliable than the data services of a telephone company.
Fact: Cox's cable services run over a redundant network. There are multiple paths for data to travel to a user's home or business on Cox's cable network. If one path should break, user traffic can continue to flow uninterrupted across another redundant path.
Myth 6
When looking at price and performance, DSL is the obvious choice.
Fact: When compared to other high-cost services, DSL does offer price savings. But cable offers a surprisingly low cost per user, typically lower than DSL. And, cable connection speeds typically start where DSL tops out.
Also, the price quoted for DSL service often does not include the cost for an ISP's Internet access and features such as email. To accurately compare DSL versus cable you must combine the extra costs for an Internet connection and email. With Cox@Home and Cox@Work the cost of Internet access is built into the monthly pricing, unless otherwise indicated.
Myth 7
DSL service allows its customers to choose their own ISP; cable doesn't.
Fact: Most DSL customers cannot choose an ISP other than one that is already packaged with the DSL service. Cox provides its home customers with the ability to access the content of other ISPs in addition to Excite@Home's broadband designed content.
ISP content and services delivered by the DSL provider are typically designed for 28.8K or sometimes 56K modems, in order to accommodate their most common users. Cox is optimized for high-bandwidth use.
Myth 8
DSL is a new digital connection technology.
Fact: DSL technology was created to squeeze more speed and capacity out of existing copper telephone wires. Much of this wiring system was installed decades ago and was designed for low-speed, low-capacity voice communications. In contrast, cable architecture is relatively new and does not rely on the local telephone network.
Myth 9
DSL is widely available today, because it's based on an existing network that reaches most homes and offices.
Fact: DSL services are not widely available for several reasons. Telephone companies must install new equipment at their offices, establish connections to ISPs and upgrade copper circuits to a home or business. And then there are obstacles that either delay or prevent these circuits from being used to deliver DSL service, such as bridge taps, changes in wire gauge and the presence of "cross-talk," a type of interference between signals on telephone lines.
As stated in Myth #1, the distance from a home or business to the telephone company's central office dictates the level of service a customer can receive. Only if a customer is within 18,000 feet will the optimal connection speed of 7MB per second be possible. Past that, connection speeds drop dramatically to just 64K per second, or less.
Myth 10
High-speed cable connections aren't widely available, since most cable networks have not upgraded their systems for two-way communication.
Fact: Cable reaches far more homes than does DSL at this time. According to the Yankee Group, Year-end projections for cable modem subscribers in 1999 was expected to pass 1 million, compared to 250,000 for DSL users. Additionally, 25 percent of U.S. homes were projected to have cable modem service available by the end of 1999 compared to 10 percent for DSL. At year-end 2000, those numbers are projected to increase to 43 percent for cable modem ready U.S. homes and 20 percent for DSL ready U.S. homes. |
