Does NetZero Have Anything Faster Than DSL?

NetZero offers two different dial-up Internet plans to choose from. One is a basic plan, known as NetZero Platinum. The other plan is NetZero HiSpeed, which the company considers its accelerated plan, promising a Web-surfing speed of up to five times that of NetZero Platinum as well as an expanded list of subscriber features (and a higher price). HiSpeed is still subject to the limitations that exist for a dial-up connection.

NetZero and other dial-up providers rarely list the actual connection speeds of their respective dial-up plans in advertising and marketing. This is because all dial-up connections utilize a 56k modem, which means they can only transmit data at a maximum of 56 kilobits per second (Kbps) through standard telephone lines. And, though 56k is the maximum, typical download speeds are likely to be around 48 Kbps. When providers promise faster and accelerated plans, that usually involves the compression and filtering of data to have some downloads take less time.

DSL (digital subscriber line) is a different type of Internet connection available from a variety of providers. The speed of a DSL connection depends on the specific provider, the total bandwidth available and the particular plan chosen by the subscriber, with potential download speeds ranging from as low as 256 Kbps to as high as 8 Mbps (Megabits per second), with 1 MB being equal to 1000 Kb. This means that at minimum, a DSL connection is roughly five times as fast as the fastest dial-up connection, and at maximum up to 142 times as fast.

Though neither of NetZero's dial-up plans can come close to matching the speed of a DSL connection, the company does offer its own DSL subscription plan, which comes with features including free Norton AntiVirus and wireless modem. NetZero Broadband DSL is only available in limited areas; visit the NetZero website and enter your home telephone number in the provided field box to see if it is offered where you live.