Working with Southwestern Bell, Bitstreet planned to offer DSL connections beginning Friday. It's certainly not a choice for anyone and everyone, but it is a very good choice for people who need to move and receive data quickly. The concept may be related to a pipe through which water flows to a home or building. A larger pipe can move more water. A smaller pipeline can move less.
Data flow is measured in kilobytes per second.
A standard modem moves data at a moderate 53,000 kilobytes each second, if all is working properly and there is not too much strain on the providing network. An ISDN modem usually transmits 128,000 kilobytes. A T1 class connection, a direct, constant connection to the Internet, streams data at up to 1.54 megabits per second. A T3 line, fastest of all connections, sends data at 45 megabits every second. Not everyone wants ISDN speed, but not everyone needs a T1 or T3 connection, either.