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Broadband vs. Dial Up Comparion

How Much Faster Is Broadband Over A Dialup Connection?

There are many definitions of broadband, but the one that should be used when referring to residential Internet access comes from the FCC. Their official definition of broadband (also called "high speed Internet access") is "data transmission speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second" (or 200 Kbps) in at least one direction, typically downstream. With the theoretical limit of dial up Internet being 56 Kbps and a more realistic maximum speed being 48 Kbps, it's easy to see that dial up Internet access can never be qualified as broadband.

Aside from speed, another major difference between broadband and dial up Internet is that broadband is usually "Always On". With a dial up service, you have to initiate the dial up connection yourself and then wait several seconds before the connection is complete. With broadband Internet, including DSL, Cable, and Satellite, the connection is made when your computer is turned on and will remain connected until you do something to disconnect it or your Internet Service Provider (ISP) experiences technical difficulties.

In most cases, broadband is preferrable to dial up simply because it is so much faster and convenient to use. However, price and availability of high speed Internet providers seem to be the main factors which keep dial up ISP's in business. As of the end of 2006, only about 70% of U.S. residences have either cable or DSL available to them. The only real option for broadband in those rural areas of America is satellite Internet access, which can become quite expensive.

For many Americans, standard dial up is still the only real choice they have for Internet access. Others simply don't want to pay much more than $15 a month to access the Web and email on a casual basis. In such cases, Netzero is a good example of a quality dial up ISP. The price range for broadband is between $20 to $55 per month and often higher.

These factors ensure that dial up Internet service in the U.S. will be around for years to come, at least until the price for broadband drops a little further and DSL / Cable providers are able to cover a greater portion of the country.

 
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To compare accelerated dialup Internet service with broadband cable and residential DSL, return to our High Speed Internet home page.