As with most technologies, DSL's theoretical potential differs markedly from the Internet connection speeds available to consumers and business in the real world. Specifically, VDSL (very fast DSL) can offer speeds of up to 52 Mbps (megabits per second), but many broadband users plod along at a far slower 128 kbps (kilobits per second).
There have been improvements in DSL quality, analysts say, but until operators can reduce prices and guarantee bandwidth, the technology will continue to lose out to cable broadband.
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