And for people who continue using old-fashioned technology, it's just going to get worse:

• Data volume on the Internet doubles every 3 to 4 months!
• Number of people online doubles every 12 months.
• Approximately 400 million people around the world are online now.

Fortunately, there is an affordable alternative to endless waiting: Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). This computer-driven technology takes ordinary telephone lines and turns them into access paths for high-speed data communications.

Because DSL is "always on," there's no dialing up and never a busy signal. And because DSL is high speed, you can download huge volumes of information in just a few minutes, instead of half an hour or more with ordinary modems.

In fact, DSL service can be 100 times faster than a 56 Kbps modem, the quickest one commonly in use today.

How is such speed possible? It's all in Features of DSL.

Use the Phone Lines...Not the Phone Network

When you choose Qwest DSL, special terminating devices are placed at each end of your DSL line — one in your office and one in the nearest Central Office of your local telephone company.

While your data still moves over the telephone lines, it is no longer on the public-switched telephone network, but on an isolated data network. So it's not competing for space with millions of Internet and voice calls being carried locally.

Please see our Network Architecture section for a graphic depiction.

Combine that with the far greater bandwidth of the fiber optic backbone network and the result is: blazing speed. But there are other benefits, too.

"Always on" allows greatly improved connection to the Internet or to your corporate LAN from a remote location, compared to using the telephone network. Once your network is up and running, there is:

• No dialing
• No password needed
• No user name needed
• Use the phone AND be online!

Quick Comparison of DSL

A quick comparison of DSL with the other available technologies for reaching the Internet.

DSL versus "dial up" service. Traditional online services are far slower and may be difficult to access due to busy signals

DSL versus ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network): ISDN is far slower than DSL. With a maximum speed of 144 Kbps upstream and downstream. ISDN service may be billed on a per minute of use, which can amount to unexpectedly large usage fees in a busy month.

DSL versus cable modems. Businesses generally cannot access the Internet via cable modems, which are designed for residential use. But even if the service is available, it must be shared with an entire neighborhood, voice and data can't be transmitted simultaneously, and you get no choice of Internet Service Provider (ISP). But even if the service is available, it must be shared with an entire neighborhood, voice and data can't be transmitted simultaneously, and you not get a choice of Internet Service Provider (ISP).

DSL versus satellite: Because the dish is served by satellites orbiting high above the earth, a clear "line of sight" is needed and weather may cause severe interference. Satellite service also uses telephone lines to go "upstream," meaning slow "dial up" service and the need for another line to avoid busy signals. And as with cable modems, there's no choice of ISP. And as with cable modems, there may not be a choice of ISP.