Cable Vs. DSL Prices

Step 1

Check your local cable prices. Cable broadband is Internet service supplied over cables. This type of Internet service is usually offered by a cable company and delivered along with your cable television service. Cable Internet is always on and does not require you to log on or log off from the service. You will need a special cable modem and an account from your provider to be able to use cable internet. Cable broadband is usually shared by everyone in a delivery area and the speed can slow down significantly when many people are using the service. The speed of cable Internet does not decrease with distance from the service provider.

Step 2

Check your local DSL prices. Digital Subscriber Line broadband is Internet service supplied over telephone lines. It is usually offered by a telephone company and requires a telephone line installation as well as a special DSL modem or router. You can use your telephone and the Internet service at the same time. The speed of DSL tends to decrease with distance from the service provider. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) service gives greater speeds on download than on upload, so the speeds offered by this type of DSL tend to be beneficial to home users.

Step 3

Compare any available bundled packages. The prices of DSL and cable broadband service are generally comparable to that of dial-up Internet service and are usually comparable to each other, although stand-alone cable Internet service and business cable Internet prices do tend to be higher than DSL. Cable internet is often bundled into a package with television and other services by the cable company, so the overall cost can be significantly lowered. DSL requires a telephone line, so the cost of line rental has to be factored in with the cost of the Internet service. Some providers offer bundled packages for Internet service, calls and line rental, or significant discounts on line rental charges with the Internet service.

Step 4

Look at any special considerations and use these in your calculations. If you are using cable Internet for business purposes, your costs will be higher than for home users, but you will likely be getting greater bandwidth and speed as well. DSL speeds are lower the further you are from a service provider, so you will need to take this into account when choosing a service provider, as the cost might not be worth it if you need high speeds and live in a remote area. Similarly, congestion on the cable line might affect the level of service you receive, so this needs to be factored in when working out which cable service provides you with the best value for money.