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started with the phone
It wasn’t that long ago when the internet wasn’t even a figment of someone’s imagination. Now, it’s hard to imagine a world without high-speed Internet in every home. DSL (digital subscriber line) hasn’t always been around this way. Its history dates back to the 19th century when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. For the first time, people were able to transmit data over a copper wire. Little did he know at the time, what a powerful and influential invention it would be and what could be accomplished using his idea. Yet he had laid the foundation on which others would build.
Then came the internet
At first, Internet users were content to see simple monochrome screens with no graphics. But as technology advanced and the Internet began to present web pages and images in full color, it became increasingly apparent that users needed to be able to transmit large volumes of data. Along with the need for data, users needed speed. It’s just not practical to wait days for an image to load.
In the 1980s, Joseph Lechleider came up with a solution to this very problem. He discovered how to transmit data through broadband signals. For this, he is credited as the father of broadband technologies. Along with the idea of broadband, he came up with the idea of ADSL (asymmetric DSL). This was significant because it allowed users to download data at a faster rate than they uploaded it. This system mirrored the way most users used the Internet: they downloaded far more items than they uploaded, necessitating a faster download speed than the upload speed.
ADSL initiated the transition from analog connections to digital connections. This technology made its first appearance on the market in the form of ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), which is simply a network of digital telephone connections that allows both voice and data to be transmitted anywhere in the world. This allowed more data to be transferred at a much faster rate, and when it all comes down to it, speed is the ultimate goal of the internet.
Then came DMT (Discrete Multi Tone) which was developed by John Cioffi. DMT separated a DSL signal into 256 frequency channels. Cioffi’s version of this technology was dramatically better than any of his competitors and quickly became the industry standard.
HDSL (High Bit Rate DSL) was the most widely used version of DSL. It was developed in the early 1990s and provided the same amount of bandwidth in both directions. This was mainly used for data transfers between the phone company and the consumer and also within a corporation. Although HDSL provided the same bandwidth for both downloads and uploads, it was not without its flaws: it required multiple phone lines to perform this function, making it impractical for the average consumer.
video on demand
This technology paved the way for video on demand (VOD), which was intended to compete with cable television’s promise of providing more than 500 channels. The idea behind it was that using DSL technology, consumers could buy and download any movie they wanted to watch without ever leaving the comfort of their home. While this seemed like a good idea, it just didn’t catch on.
Instead of using DSL for VOD, consumers turned to the technology for high-speed Internet connections. With the exponential increase in Internet users every year, the demand for this service also grew. Soon, both consumers and businesses turned to DSL for their high-speed Internet needs.
More types of DSL
From humble beginnings using regular copper wire, DSL has come a long way over the years. Now, technology has advanced and DSL has expanded to include:
dsl – DSL with more bandwidth to download than to upload. This follows the common thread of consumers transferring more items from the servers than they transfer back to the servers.
RADSL (rate adaptive DSL) – This technology allows software to determine how fast signals can be transmitted over a consumer’s phone line, and then adjust the delivery speed accordingly.
V DSL (Very High Data Rate DSL) – this is a very high speed data transfer that works best over short distances. This type of DSL works best with a fiber optic cable.
The future of ADSL
With so many uses for high-speed Internet, the future of DSL looks bright. Consumers around the world use high-speed Internet to shop, take online classes, play games, chat, download music and movies, and start home-based businesses. With ever-increasing demand for the Internet and the services it provides, the future looks bright for DSL – it’s here to stay.
