Attribute

Cable modem

DSL

T1

Speed

High speed access

High speed access

High speed access

Max speed

30 Mbps

10 Mbps

1.5 Mbps

Effective speed to a home connection

400 kbps to 2 Mbps depending on the shared services

Around 272 kbps to 4 Mbps

1.5 Mbps`

Effective speed for  a business connection

From 2 Mbps to 4 Mbps downstream, depending on what you sign up for.

Around 1.5 Mbps to 4 Mbps downstream; for SDSL services the speed may be up to 1.5 Mbps in both directions

1.5 Mbps dedicated downstream and around 384 kbps upstream

Local bandwidth

Shared

Dedicated

Dedicated

Distance from provider

Will generally not affect performance

Will affect speed to some extent, but no effect within the standard service area

Will not affect performance

Limit on distance

No major limitation, except economic

Max. stated as 16000 feet

None

Carrier

A single coaxial cable can serve thousands of subscribers

Separate pair of wires for each subscriber

Dedicated cable from service provider

Carrier

Can use existing TV cable

Needs dedicated cable, though installation can be done by user

Needs dedicated installation

Always on

Yes

Yes

Yes

Security

Can be suspect due to uncontrolled access by neighbors and others

High, as the line is a dedicated cable for you.

High, as the line is a dedicated link to you

Phone Service

Not required

Required

Not required

Cost level

Inexpensive; business subscriptions run from around $ 100 to $ 800 per month

Relatively expensive; subscriptions run from $ 50 to $ 400 for home use and somewhat higher for business use, if bandwidth is higher.

Relatively expensive; subscriptions can run as high as $ 1500 per month

Suitability for business use

Low

High

High

Equipment required by subscriber

Cable modem leased by provider. Network interface card required. Cable modem can also be purchased by subscriber

DSL modem required

Equipment purchase is required

Contractual conditions

Generally short term subscriptions

Need long term contracts

Need long term contracts