Broadband Guide

SDSL broadband

Add a comment

Print

Send to a friend

SDSL broadband is a high speed internet service which provides fast speed both for uploads and downloads. SDLS is ideal for businesses that need to be able to upload information quickly and efficiently.

2 Months FREE Bundle Up to 10Mb broadband speeds FREE installation First 2 months FREE

Broadband and Calls Lightning speeds up to 20Mb Includes BT Home Hub From £7.49 a month

Whilst it may sound complicated an SDSL or Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line connection is basically the same as a standard internet connection but offers fast upload speeds as well as download speeds. SDSL broadband is available from a number of UK providers including BT Broadband (www.BT.com) and Zen Broadband (www.zen.co.uk).

Why choose SDSL broadband?

Normal copper-wire broadband, or ADSL, offers users a much slower upload speed compared with download. A typical connection may offer download speeds of up to 8Mb but upload speeds of only 448kpbs (Less than half of 1Mb). SDSL is not subject to these limitations, if your connection speed is 2Mb then your download speed and upload speed will also be 2Mb. This makes SDSL ideal for home offices and users that need to transfer data between two sites without being restricted by upload limits.

Room on the line: contention with the neighbours

Another common criticism of ADSL is the high contention ratios, with a standard contention being around 50:1. Simply put this means if you have an 8Mb broadband internet connection to your house or business as many as 49 other people could be using the same connection at the same time. Clearly this is disadvantageous at busy times: if everyone was downloading at the same time, broadband speeds could potentially be reduced to 0.16Mb (160kbps)! SDSL offers a much more attractive contention ratio ranging from 10:1 to 1:1, meaning you may not have to share you connection with anyone.

Unfortunately this increased upload speed and lower contention ratio does come at a price and standard SDSL packages start from around £100. Most SDSL packages are designed for business although SDSL broadband is available from BT Broadband (www.BT.com) and Zen Broadband (www.zen.co.uk).

Is SDSL broadband for me?

If you are looking for the best broadband connection for your home, with a good download speed and average upload requirements then standard ADSL may be for you. You can compare ADSL packages and providers using our broadband comparison wizard. However, if you are looking for a fast upload speeds as well as low contention ratios then SDSL may be best for you.

Add a comment

Print

Send to a friend