Call your DSL order in today with Smartfella Internet Services for a more flexible and convenient way
to surf, phone and fax simultaneously. Your cost for DSL access ranges depending
on area, speed, and classification. Please call for more details.
In order to assist you with the DSL facts, with have provided you with the following DSL F.A.Q. section.
How does DSL Work?
DSL provides your subscribers with high-speed Internet access over existing
copper telephone lines. No special wires are necessary; just the plain old
phone lines that are already out there. DSL utilizes a bridge or router at
the customer location, which connects to a Digital Subscriber Line Access
Multiplexer (DSLAM) in the telephone company Central Office (CO). This
bridge or router is ordered from you and installed at the end-user location
by authorized installers from Smartfella Internet Services partners. The installation
date will be coordinated with the end-user, offering a two-hour installation
window for either an AM or PM appointment.
The DSLAM is property of our partners, who lease space in the CO from the
local telephone company to co-locate the DSLAM. The copper phone lines that
connect to the modem at the end-user location are the property of the local
telephone company. These companies lease a copper line from the telephone
company and connect this leased line to the DSLAM in the CO, thus enabling
the high-speeds of which DSL is capable.
Fast Access:
DSL allows you to send and receive data at speeds up to 1.5 Mbps. That’s more than 30
times faster than a 56 Kbps modem! DSL offers more than just fast downloads of e-mail, graphic
files, Web pages and software. Additionally, DSL enables advanced functions like Web hosting, video
conferencing, video streaming, virtual private networking and e-commerce.
Traditional DSL is available in the following speeds:
• 128 kbps
• 256 kbps
• 768 kbps
• 1 Mbps
Constant Connectivity:
In addition to providing the highest speeds possible over copper wires, DSL provides a
dedicated connection. This means DSL connections are always on. There is no need for
lengthy and slow dial-up to connect to the Internet because simply clicking an icon
will put your customers online instantly. No busy signals, no dropped connections, no
more dial-up frustration.
Multiple User Solution:
Multiple computers can be connected to a single DSL circuit, sharing the high-speed
access among every computer in your home or office!
DSL Product Line:
Smartfella Internet Services currently offers SDSL, ADSL and IDSL services. However, DSL has many
additional “flavors” as well.
Upstream versus Downstream:
When discussing the different flavors of DSL it is important to understand the concepts
of upstream and downstream in the context of the Internet.Downstream is like downloading. It
means you are downloading information from the Internet to your computer. Examples of
information traveling downstream are opening a Web page on your computer screen or
opening e-mail messages from your in box.
Upstream, on the other hand, means you are sending information from your computer to the
Internet. Examples of information traveling upstream are sending e-mail messages, hosting
a Web server and video conferencing. If you have ever tried to send e-mail with a large
attachment, like pictures, large spreadsheets or electronic presentations, you understand
how a slow upstream connection can really slow you down.
SDSL (Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line):
SDSL is a symmetrical service, which means that information travels upstream and downstream
at the same rate. It was designed for applications requiring high speeds in both
directions. SDSL speeds begin at 192 Kbps and go as high as 1.1 Mbps. SDSL is well
suited for business applications because of its symmetrical nature.
ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line):
ADSL is an asymmetrical service, which means that information travels downstream at a
different rate than it travels upstream. ADSL is faster downstream (from the Internet) than
upstream (sending to the Internet). Smartfella Internet Services offers two speeds: 768 kbps downstream by 384 kbps
upstream, and 384 kbps downstream by 128 kbps upstream. Originally designed by telephone companies
to provide video-on-demand to compete with the cable TV industry, ADSL was given new life with the
advent of the Internet and the desire of residential customers to access the Internet with a fast
downstream connection. ADSL is primarily used by residential power users who generally download
information far more than they upload information.
IDSL (ISDN DSL):
IDSL is essentially used to provide DSL service to customers who do not qualify for SDSL
or ADSL. IDSL is capable of reaching customers who are up to 36,000 feet away from the
Central Office. IDSL operates at a symmetrical speed of 144 Kbps.
HDSL (High-bit rate Digital Subscriber Line):
HDSL was developed as a faster cousin to ISDN, and it enabled telephone companies to
offer T-1 (1.544Mbps) speeds over regular copper phone wire without the use of repeaters. However, HDSL
requires two pairs of wires, making it more expensive to provision than newer DSL flavors that operate
on one copper pair. HDSL is the oldest and most heavily deployed version of DSL.
