Over the next few years, satellites will improve the quality and speed of both services substantially. Telcos with copper-based infrastructure have much to fear. However, by integrating the right equipment and expanding their product offering, a terrific opportunity awaits as well. DSL circuits offer subscribers bandwidths ranging from 256 Kbps to 6 Mbps and divide voice and Internet traffic so that they can be used simultaneously. DSL avoids costly congestion on the telephone central office switch by bypassing the telephone network entirely.
Users never experience the annoying busy signals encountered with dial-up modems.
In order to win the loyalty of consumers, telcos, cable television carriers, and Internet providers are racing to deliver the best combination of services and provide a single bill. Clearly, the convergence of services is inevitable. Cable companies have long held the reputation as being inflexible and difficult to work with. Some may say that cable has forgotten how to compete and will not be prepared to handle the impending threat of DSL services. Although they have been slow to react thus far, many feel the telcos have the advantage over the cable television carriers and Internet providers since their copper plant has provided reliable phone service for decades.