Installation of home kits is often too difficult for standard home PC users. By creating new technologies that lower the cost of infrastructure and installation and by extending the reach of DSL services, providers can increase both their subscriber base and their profit margins. Phone companies, reluctant to share their lines with other service providers, are log jammed to the extent that they simply do not have the manpower to fulfill their own incoming orders, therefore hampering DSL deployment. The result is that customers can spend months waiting for a technician to inspect whether or not the line is qualified for DSL service. Residential customers have been known to sacrifice speed for convenience.
Cable requires no such lengthy wait.
Cable Internet access is not hampered by geography or infrastructure. In order to subscribe to DSL services, however, customers must be within a predetermined radius, usually about 12,000 feet to 15,000 feet, of the Telco equipment. Installation of home kits is often too difficult for standard home PC users. Such obstacles are a source of frustration to both customer and provider alike. OpenDSL and DSL Forum are industry wide organizations dedicated to the deployment of DSL services.