:: Comparing cable modems with DSL and T1

The major differentiating factors are cost, security, performance degradation and availability of service.

Generally a T1 line, that delivers a 1.5 Mbps service, may cost around $ 1000 to 1500 a month. DSL can offer you speeds in excess of 1 Mbps at costs that may be somewhat lower than the T1 line; however this needs the phone line. The ISDN connection is limited to 128 kbps speed and it also uses the phone line and needs a dial up to connect. The cable modem is the least cost alternative amongst these, as it could deliver a similar throughput at a fractional cost compared to the above. DSL service is much like T1, DDS and other traditional Frame Relay services except for a few aspects. A T1 service can be twice as expensive as DSL for the same access bandwidth while DDS service usually is limited to 56 or 64 Kbps, which is too slow for most Internet applications. Additionally, the hardware for a frame relay connection can be twice as expensive as DSL.

T1, DDS service is ideal for business purpose.