# Why is DSL faster than dial-up? Is broadband even faster? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dsl-faster-than-dial-up-is-broadband-even-faster/394556 "2007-03-04T18:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dsl-faster-than-dial-up-is-broadband-even-faster/394556/21 "2007-03-05T00:04:09Z")
The limit on dialup modems is imposed by the end-to-end quality of the network. Even though your subscriber loop may support DSL speeds, the network is limited to approximately 3 kHz of bandwidth, enough to support voice calls. In normal telephone service, your subscriber loop is attached to a SLIC (subscriber loop interface card) at the central office. The SLIC translates between the analog signal on the subscriber loop and the 64 kbps digital signal used for voice calls inside the telephone system. The only analog part of the modern telephone system is the subscriber loop. To provide DSL service, the subscriber loop is removed from the SLIC and connected to a different card that has both a DSL modem and the circuits of a SLIC. The low (audio) frequencies go to the SLIC and the higher frequencies go to the DSL modem. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dsl-faster-than-dial-up-is-broadband-even-faster/394556/22 "2007-03-05T05:54:15Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Sorry, but no. [Broadband](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband) has always meant “using a wide range of frequencies” and refers to the bandwidth of a single signal path. The number of “signals” (I put this word in quotes because it’s really just one signal being sent down a given pathway, even though there are multiple separate information “streams”) is irrelevant; it’s the amount of _information_ being transmitted per unit of time which matters here. Transmitting a large number of individual “signals” requires more bandwidth than transmitting a small number; likewise, transmitting a given amount of information in a short amount of time takes more bandwidth than transmitting the same amount of information over a longer time period. The term for putting multiple signals through a single path is _multiplexing_, which is what you were referring to. Any fast data transmission method is broadband, compared to a slower method, by definition. Even if it’s just one signal. [/QUOTE] Hmm. Reading the Wiki indicates I was only familiar with the network engineering definition, but it’s good to know the more common application of “broadband” wasn’t thought up by some marketdrone. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dsl-faster-than-dial-up-is-broadband-even-faster/394556/23 "2007-03-05T15:36:15Z")
[QUOTE=Cleophus] Hmm. Reading the Wiki indicates I was only familiar with the network engineering definition, but it’s good to know the more common application of “broadband” wasn’t thought up by some marketdrone. [/QUOTE] Yep. Sometimes technical terms actually _do_ retain their proper meaning. It amazes me when that happens, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dsl-faster-than-dial-up-is-broadband-even-faster/394556.md?page=1)