Cable vs DSL
[edit] Technology
DSL services are delivered over copper phone lines using higher frequencies than those for POTS ( plain old telephone service ).
Cable transmits data over unused spectrum on Coaxial TV Cable.
[edit] Speed
Cable and DSL both used to be considered broadband, or high-speed internet connections. Today it is debatable whether DSL still qualifies as broadband.
The copper telephone cable, unlike the coaxial TV cable was never designed for wide spectrum. Because of this the maximum possible bandwidth over the copper phone cable is abysmally low compared to maximum possible bandwidth over coaxial cable. Maximum cable speeds are an order of magnitude higher than maximum DSL speeds.
Both Cable and DSL providers employ a bandwidth cap so that users do not attain to the maximum possible speed. This cap is usually asymmetrical, allowing higher download rate than upload rate. In addition to bandwidth cap there may be a monthly throughput cap.
[edit] Pricing
Dollar for dollar the pricing on DSL and Cable plans is usually comparable for the same bandwidth and same service level agreement class plan. The available service bundles ( TV, Internet and Voice as one plan ) however may differ between DSL and Cable providers.
